If You Want to Thank a Veteran for His Service, Thank This Guy

November 12, 2010
Robert Parry talks about his civilian life and his military life as if they were two distinct selves, but it's impossible to separate the two after you've deployed to some of the harshest and most antagonistic war zones since 9/11 happened, as he has.
Parry returned in August from the Kunar province of Afghanistan, a region that Parry describes as "arguably the worst province of Afghanistan," due to its being overrun with suspected Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives.
"It's historically a very bad spot, and we went there to do good things," Parry said.
As an infantryman, Parry was in Afghanistan to help United States National Guard agriculture specialists implement more effective farming methods for local villagers. Parry said they inoculated about 10,000 livestock against common diseases and taught the villagers how to gain more from their crops.
Kunar is a largely undeveloped, agrarian area. Parry believes they accomplished a lot for the villagers there, although the climate is hostile to U.S. soldiers.
"The people there are very wary of outsiders," Parry said. "They don't like anyone else coming in, especially if you're not a Muslim. Like any place, the majority of people just want to be left alone."
Parry seems glad to be back in Monrovia with his wife who is pregnant and expected to deliver their first child, a boy, in January.
"I came back and sort of threw myself into things," said Parry. "Working around the house and getting ready to go back to my job. Just getting involved in the community again, reconnecting with friends. Fortunately one of my passions in life is USC football so I've had that to get involved in."
But the transition from military to civilian life hasn't been seamless for Parry.
In 2005, Parry witnessed 11 of his comrades killed in his midst during his tour in Baghdad. Parry was supposed to meet one man for lunch the day the he died. Another was killed just hours after Parry spoke to him.
"That was not a pleasant experience," Parry said. "I lost a lot of friends over there, and that affected me greatly."
After returning from that tour in Iraq, Parry went back to his job at a public relations firm in Century City. He described the adjustment as difficult. The crowded Century City shopping center reminded him of the bustling markets in Baghdad. He said he was looking for snipers on the tops of Los Angeles skyscrapers, and his mind had a hard time adjusting to where he was.
Parry laughs off what he said are probably symptoms of post-traumatic stress as a good-natured way of saying, "It's okay. I volunteered to do this."
And he did. Parry enlisted in the National Guard in 1999 at the age of 27, before the U.S. launched a war on terror. There was a small chance at that time that he would be deployed in war zones throughout the next 11 years of his military career. But that is what happened. And he's been back and forth to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
It's impossible to ignore the signs that Parry and our other soldiers are quietly suffering for surviving what could have been the end of them.
And that's understandable. How could you not have residual anxiety when you lived in fear of being shot at?
Parry said he was recently at a party when someone uncorked a bottle of champagne and yelled, "Incoming!" Parry said his breath quickened, his muscles tightened, and he started to get on the ground.
And he brushes it off.
The military is not for everyone. Parry said that's why Veterans Day is important.
"This is a day we acknowledge all the people who basically said, 'Send me,'" he said. "Not everyone wants to be in the military, not everybody should be in the military, but there are those who step up to the plate."
Parry said he enlisted without ever having the intention of engaging in combat in Iraq. His impetus for signing up was so he wouldn't ever have to explain to his future children why he didn't defend our country. Parry said his grandfather served in World War II, his father worked in the defense industry and he basically felt compelled to do it.
While Parry was in between tours, he earned an MBA from USC and began a new job as marketing director for an investment bank in Orange County. While he's adjusting to civilian life and looks forward to raising a child, he predicts that he'll be deployed for another tour before his retirement from military duty.
Since he's volunteered to do it, he at least wants people to acknowledge his and other veterans' service.
Parry gave Monrovia High School an American flag that he carried on missions with him in Afghanistan in a ceremony this week. The school held a ceremony to accept the flag and remember one of their alumni, Raul Mercado, who died in Iraq in 2006.
"I'm hoping to create a reminder for these kids that the flag isn't just a piece of cloth hanging outside the school," said Parry. "If it wasn't for the concept of flags and rallying behind a cause … in this case a country, then there would be no reason to do this. We could just all roll over and surrender. But if we're going to preserve our way of life, if we're going to continue to enjoy the freedoms we have, then somebody's going to have to stand on the wall to protect the country."
Robert Parry talks about his civilian life and his military life as if they were two distinct selves, but it's impossible to separate the two after you've deployed to some of the harshest and most antagonistic war zones since 9/11 happened, as he has.
Parry returned in August from the Kunar province of Afghanistan, a region that Parry describes as "arguably the worst province of Afghanistan," due to its being overrun with suspected Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives.
"It's historically a very bad spot, and we went there to do good things," Parry said.
As an infantryman, Parry was in Afghanistan to help United States National Guard agriculture specialists implement more effective farming methods for local villagers. Parry said they inoculated about 10,000 livestock against common diseases and taught the villagers how to gain more from their crops.
Kunar is a largely undeveloped, agrarian area. Parry believes they accomplished a lot for the villagers there, although the climate is hostile to U.S. soldiers.
"The people there are very wary of outsiders," Parry said. "They don't like anyone else coming in, especially if you're not a Muslim. Like any place, the majority of people just want to be left alone."
Parry seems glad to be back in Monrovia with his wife who is pregnant and expected to deliver their first child, a boy, in January.
"I came back and sort of threw myself into things," said Parry. "Working around the house and getting ready to go back to my job. Just getting involved in the community again, reconnecting with friends. Fortunately one of my passions in life is USC football so I've had that to get involved in."
But the transition from military to civilian life hasn't been seamless for Parry.
In 2005, Parry witnessed 11 of his comrades killed in his midst during his tour in Baghdad. Parry was supposed to meet one man for lunch the day the he died. Another was killed just hours after Parry spoke to him.
"That was not a pleasant experience," Parry said. "I lost a lot of friends over there, and that affected me greatly."
After returning from that tour in Iraq, Parry went back to his job at a public relations firm in Century City. He described the adjustment as difficult. The crowded Century City shopping center reminded him of the bustling markets in Baghdad. He said he was looking for snipers on the tops of Los Angeles skyscrapers, and his mind had a hard time adjusting to where he was.
Parry laughs off what he said are probably symptoms of post-traumatic stress as a good-natured way of saying, "It's okay. I volunteered to do this."
And he did. Parry enlisted in the National Guard in 1999 at the age of 27, before the U.S. launched a war on terror. There was a small chance at that time that he would be deployed in war zones throughout the next 11 years of his military career. But that is what happened. And he's been back and forth to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
It's impossible to ignore the signs that Parry and our other soldiers are quietly suffering for surviving what could have been the end of them.
And that's understandable. How could you not have residual anxiety when you lived in fear of being shot at?
Parry said he was recently at a party when someone uncorked a bottle of champagne and yelled, "Incoming!" Parry said his breath quickened, his muscles tightened, and he started to get on the ground.
And he brushes it off.
The military is not for everyone. Parry said that's why Veterans Day is important.
"This is a day we acknowledge all the people who basically said, 'Send me,'" he said. "Not everyone wants to be in the military, not everybody should be in the military, but there are those who step up to the plate."
Parry said he enlisted without ever having the intention of engaging in combat in Iraq. His impetus for signing up was so he wouldn't ever have to explain to his future children why he didn't defend our country. Parry said his grandfather served in World War II, his father worked in the defense industry and he basically felt compelled to do it.
While Parry was in between tours, he earned an MBA from USC and began a new job as marketing director for an investment bank in Orange County. While he's adjusting to civilian life and looks forward to raising a child, he predicts that he'll be deployed for another tour before his retirement from military duty.
Since he's volunteered to do it, he at least wants people to acknowledge his and other veterans' service.
Parry gave Monrovia High School an American flag that he carried on missions with him in Afghanistan in a ceremony this week. The school held a ceremony to accept the flag and remember one of their alumni, Raul Mercado, who died in Iraq in 2006.
"I'm hoping to create a reminder for these kids that the flag isn't just a piece of cloth hanging outside the school," said Parry. "If it wasn't for the concept of flags and rallying behind a cause … in this case a country, then there would be no reason to do this. We could just all roll over and surrender. But if we're going to preserve our way of life, if we're going to continue to enjoy the freedoms we have, then somebody's going to have to stand on the wall to protect the country."