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| Col. William Parrish and Marine Corps Jr. ROTC cadets |
The annual Veterans’ Day observance was held at Goochland High School on November 11. Thanks to all who made this happen.
Goochland High School Marine Jr. ROTC Cadet Captain Ava
Freeman welcomed attendees, after which the colors were presented by the unit’s
color guard drill team. The GHS band played the Star-Spangled Banner. During the
Armed Forces medley, veterans stood as the song of their branch of service was
played. Veterans in attendance included a young mother Navy veteran and one
from Air Force who came in uniform.
Maidens resident Colonel William Parrish, United States
Marine Corps, (Retired) was the keynote speaker. He began his remarks by
thanking GHS history teacher Rachel Tate for facilitating a program to bring
veterans and high school students together for mutual benefit. He commended Lt.
Col. Wiliams and Staff Sargeant Strong, the GHS MC Jr. ROTC faculty, for their
excellent work with our students, and thanked our Sheriff’s Office and
Fire-Rescue folk for their role in community safety. (Go to https://sites.google.com/glnd.k12.va.us/goochlandhighschoolmcjrotc/home
to learn more about this program, which has the largest enrollment in the
Richmond region.) Above all, Parrish thanked his fellow veterans.
Following a distinguished career in the Marine Corps,
Parrish established the Office of Anti-Terrorism for U.S. Customs Service; served
as Senior Advisor to Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, where he helped
plan Operation Liberty Shield to strengthen homeland defense during operation Iraqi
Freedom; served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Intelligence Analysis; and Senior
Homeland Security Advisor to the FBI. He received the Outstanding Public
Service Award in 2009.
Col. Parrish went on to become an associate professor at
Virginia Commonwealth University where he helped create the Homeland Security and
Emergency Preparedness Program, the first of its kind in the Commonwealth.
Closer to home, Col. Parrish served several terms as the Board
of Supervisors’ representative on the Goochland Volunteer Fire-Rescue
Association Board.
Col. Parrish told of
how the silencing of the guns at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, on the front
lines of World War I led to the observance of Armistice Day, which became
Veterans’ Day in 1954 at the direction of President Dwight Eisenhower, himself
a veteran. On this day we recognize the service of those who wore the uniform.
Parrish reflected on how life lessons learned in military
service translate into civilian life using the founder of FedEx Fred Smith as
an example. Smith believed that the
leadership skills he learned during his service in the Marine Corps during Viet
Nam helped him build a successful company.
These lessons include knowing yourself and seeking self-improvement;
knowing what your job is and how to do it; knowing your people and looking out
for their welfare; be proficient in the tools needed to do your job; and train as
a team for success.
Parrish recalled creating a “what if” handbook to prepare families
of those in his command left behind during deployments so Marines could focus
on their mission rather than worry about the homefront.
Parrish shared some of his experiences. He was involved in
providing security in the aftermath of the 1996 Kobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia
and building a soccer field and supporting orphanages to win the hearts and
minds of people in foreign countries where he was deployed.
November 10 was the 250th birthday of the Marine
Corps. Like the Army, founded on July 14, and the Navy on October 13, all in
1775, they predate the Declaration of Independence.
Our nation is blessed by every veteran since the founding of
our nation, those currently serving, and those who will serve in the future
like our cadets.
Veterans of tomorrow
(Attendance by local veterans was less than robust, possibly
due to failure to get the word out. Goochland needs some sort of centralized
calendar of events, to keep residents informed about local events.)
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