Lucky Iraq vet scratches way to lottery riches

Jul 21, 2004, 9:29 am (9 comments)

Massachusetts Lottery

Just back from a tour of duty in Iraq, a Norwood, Massachusetts National Guardsman was welcomed home by Lady Luck - netting $140,000 a year for life from a state Lottery scratch ticket.
 
John A. Morrissey, 42, says the Massachusetts Lottery Lifetime Spectacular windfall will blast him out of bankruptcy, and help put his daughter through college.
 
"I always had faith that I'd hit it big," Morrissey said in an exclusive Herald interview.
 
And hit it big is just what he did after stopping by his neighborhood store, Pam's Market in Norwood, to buy his $10 scratch ticket.
 
"It's just incredible," Morrissey said. "`That's the real deal. One of those rags to riches. I was married and I got divorced. And I had to file bankruptcy. Then after that years went on. I went to Iraq and then I came home and got lucky."
 
The lottery ticket hit will deliver $200,000 a year for life, and Morrissey is set to collect his first $140,000 after-tax payment today from State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill.
 
A member of the 110th Maintenance Company, a unit of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, Morrissey returned from a 13-month tour of duty in Iraq five weeks ago and went back to work as a shipper for Telco Systems in Mansfield, where he has worked for seven years.
 
Morrissey, who served at the Tallil air base outside Nazariyah, said he expected his tour to last six months. His job was to supply troops with vehicle parts.
 
"Life was tough over there," Morrissey said. "I didn't come close to combat, but there were times that we had to be locked and loaded and ready to go."
 
Now that he's struck it rich - his estate is guaranteed at least $4 million under the Lottery jackpot - Morrissey stressed that nothing compares to coming home from an extended tour in Iraq to see his family, including 17-year-old daughter, Ashley, and his 14-year-old son, Matthew.
 
"We got home and it's just been an emotional roller coaster," Morrissey said. "`I can't even describe it - just being with my kids and my family." Morrissey said he plans to keep working, for now, while he makes future plans.
 
"I want to do the right thing, which is not spend this money foolishly and go out and invest it, so later on I can enjoy my life," Morrissey said.
 
"I don't want to consider myself a lucky Irishman. I just want to say it's been a rough go of it through my life. And I guess I've been lucky enough to be lucky. The biggest thing is to send my daughter to college."

Boston Herald

Comments

CASH Only

Another "Lose for Lifer".

vincejr's avatarvincejr

Cash,

With all due respect to you and your feelings on whether a prize should be taken as an annuity or cash option, can you please stop being so negative on the topic? I, for one, am happy for the guy. He knew when he bought the ticket that the top prize was paid via an annuity, he made the choice to purchase, and he won. Now, he will get $200,000 a year (pre-tax) for the rest of his life, with a guaranteed minimum payout of $4 million (pre-tax).

The whole structure of a "Win for Life" style game is such that paying the prize as anything other than an annuity is impossible. There is no way to figure out a cash option for this game as the total payout depends on how long the guy lives! While I agree with you that in cases where a prize is $X a year/month/week for Y number of years there should be a cash option offered for those who want it all at once, this type of game cannot have that option due to the varying lifespans of the winners.

I am all for giving winners a choice between cash option and annuity, where possible and practical to do so, but it is ultimately up to each winner given that choice which to choose. If I were to ever have that choice, I would take the annuity in a heartbeat. While I know I theoretically could invest the lump sum and make more money, I know myself too well and would rather take the "bird in hand" guarantee.

Those, like yourself, who would only take a cash option prize are free to do so, as far as I am concerned. And, if that is the only prize type that you would ever want to win, then you are free to refrain from playing those games where that is not an option to take. But, there are a lot of us out there who either don't care or would choose the annuity, and those games appeal to us.

In short, stop being so negative. Feel free to try to convince us with facts and studies about which option is the better one to take. But, please refrain from disparaging those who would/did not choose how you would have.

noahproblem

I just pray this guy doesn't get recalled for another tour of duty - let him and his family enjoy their good fortune.

CASH Only

Vince:

I have SOME tolerance for "lifetime" prizes due to the reasons you mention. The problem is that Massachusetts (and NY, where I live) each have games that pay X dollars a year for Z years with NO cash option, which I have ZERO tolerance of.

Todd's avatarTodd

CO:

I'm not trying to speak for Vince, but I think what he may be talking about is calling a guy who served our country and then won the lottery (a truly deserving person if there ever was one) a "loser for life".

All of us who understand your viewpoint on Mass annuity-only games understand you weren't railing the guy - rather you were making the point about his lack of ability to choose a cash option.  However, you may want to make your point without calling the guy a loser.

He's a winner in every sense.  It's the Mass Lottery that's being a loser in this case.

Todd's avatarTodd

CO:

One more thought: how about starting a Blog about your contacts (e-mails, etc.) with the state lotteries?  It would be a cool way to chronicle your efforts, as well as publicizing your points.

tg636

I would love to be a "loser" with $140,000 going into my bank account year after year, while I used my days to do whatever I wanted.  Yes, that is the very definition of loser. 

mayan27's avatarmayan27

 

    tg636,I definitely agree with you.If that what is a loser,than I want to be that loser for the rest of my live.

Littleoldlady's avatarLittleoldlady

Me too.  140,000 per year is just fine with me.  I am still having nightmares about people who invested all of their money and went broke..(Enron, etc)..maybe in these uncertain times, it is better to have an annuity...that way if u lose x number of dollars in one year..you always have x more coming in the next year.

End of comments
Subscribe to this news story