Washington Scholars Military Veteran's Newsletter

May 2011

 
Chairman's Message

AJJC in Cammies

 

 It looks like things are shaping up well for another fine group of Admiral Carey Foundation sponsored military veterans for this summer's Washington Scholars Class.  And we continue to make great progress in opening up more and more military-veteran-related venues for these veterans to gain added qualifications and experience that helps them to prepare for their transition from active duty to civilian life and civilian jobs.  One of the tragedies of these young men and women who have put their lives on the line for our nation is that they are returning to America after serving in combat, only to run into an unemployment rate for military veterans approaching 25%+ and an average salary that is $10,000 below that of their non-military veteran counterparts.  Thus our programs are a HUGE HELP to them in beating these odds and receiving the employment treatment that they have earned and deserve through their military service.

  
One of the organizations that the Admiral Carey Foundation works with in trying to aid in bringing these fine young Americans into the civilian workforce is the Call of Duty Endowment Foundation (www.CallOfDutyEndowment.org), which has already funded a million dollars in grants to organizations that are doing the best job of training military veterans for transitioning into private sector employment, and C.O.D.E. has just committed a 2nd one million dollars to further support more organizations with these grants.  The Admiral Carey Foundation salutes the Call of Duty Endowment Foundation for their outstanding patriotism and for "putting their money where their mouth is" in supporting our nation's military veterans and their need for civilian jobs.  WELL DONE, Call of Duty Endowment Foundation.  YOU are true patriots.
  
With all good wishes,
  
Rear Admiral [Ret.] Jim Carey, Chairman
The Rear Admiral James J. Carey Foundation

 

 

 

 
Editor's Message
Powell Family MDP

Welcome to the 3rd edition of the Washington Scholars Military Veteran's Newsletter, this edition is my favorite thus far since it is coincides with Memorial Day.  I would like to dedicate this edition to the men and women who have fought for our country, are still fighting for our country, and most importantly those who have died fighting for our country.  During this Memorial Day weekend my family and I will be celebrating at the lake with my parents-in-law.  My father-in-law is a Vietnam veteran and retired Marine Major who received two purple hearts and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor.  Being a former Marine myself I could not think of any better way to spend the weekend than telling war stories with the "Major" and having my wife, three year old son, and myself wearing our Lcpl. Brian P. Parrello t-shirts.  Lcpl. Brian Parrello was a fellow team leader with me in Iraq in 2004.  Parrello was a good friend and a top notch Marine; he was killed in a fire fight on 1 January 2005 in Iraq.  I have the pleasure and honor of maintaining a relationship with his Mom and Dad to this day and I will continue to do so as long as I live.  One of the articles in this edition is the story of the day Brian was killed, please read it and remember his story and the stories of those like him who made the ultimate sacrifice for you and me. 

            On another note we have some great things happening with the program this summer and we have an all-star line-up consisting of three new Washington Scholars Military Veteran's.  I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting each of the new Scholars but I have heard a great deal about them as well as received a short bio on each of them that I have included later on in this issue.  So please read the bio's and get to know them.  Pay close attention to where their interests lie and where they are interning and see if you have some advice or contacts that may help them along their way and especially in the future.  These Washington Scholars, like all of our Scholars, are some of the country's most promising young men and women and with the right assistance and mentoring they will someday lead this great nation of ours.  So if you are someone who is concerned with the future of this country, supporting this program would be the best way I can think of to ensure its success.  Thank you for your time and for allowing me to share Lcpl. Brian P. Parrello's story, please enjoy your weekend and again remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, Happy Memorial Day everyone!

 

 
The 2011 Summer Washington Scholars Military Veteran's Program Fellows

 

   

 Tomoaki Takaki

 

 

 

2LT Tomoaki Takaki

 

 

Fellowship Service: Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, The Pentagon, Washington, DC

 

 

Education: Tufts University

(2011) Major: International Relations (concentration in

Middle East and South Asia) Minor: Arabic

 

 

Military Experience: Commissioned as a 2LT in the

U.S. Army Reserve through MIT Army ROTC, and will be serving at Aberdeen Proving Groundat the 203rd MI BN in the near run future.

 

 

Washington Scholars Fellowship: Although I haven't formally began the WSFP yet, I've already benefited from the Program by gaining the opportunity to intern at OSD/RA, which I'm hoping will lead to a very fruitful summer in D.C.

 

 

Future Plans: After completion of the internship, I will be going BOLC initial officer training for military intelligence at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, and then pursuing graduate school and other opportunities in the future.

 

 

 

 

Michael Stevko 

 

Michael J. Stevko (United States Navy)

 

Washington Scholars Class of 2011

Education:  Georgetown University Masters of Policy Management (2009), The University of Pennsylvania (2006), Major: Political Science. 

Internships:  United States House, Office of Tom Graves of GA (2011-present), World Affairs Council Philadelphia (2009), United States Senate, Office of Arlen Specter of PA (2008),

Military Schools: Yeoman "A" School

Washington Scholars Fellowship:  I look forward to my Fellowship with the Washington Scholars Program on playing a vital role in helping me achieve the career I desire, and of course, offering my experiences to others to help guide them to theirs.

 

Military/Veterans Background: My enlisted military journey began in Illinois at Great Lakes. After "boot camp" I attended Yeoman Class "A" School in Meridian Mississippi.  I received choice orders to Naval Air Facility Misawa, Japan. After two years, I selected orders to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One Detachment (VQ-1 Det) Misawa, Japan. While in the Navy, I was a personal aide to the Commanding Officer; liaison to all high-level military officers and visiting dignitaries; and Office Manager of the command's administrative department. Lifetime Member of the American Legion.

 

Awards:  National Defense Service Medal, War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal, Letter of Commendation, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet

 

Publications:  Stars and Stripes, The Connecticut Post, First Call Magazine

Future Plans:  Short term, to obtain a position on the Hill as a staffer; long term, to work in political consulting/government affairs and to further the ideals of Conservatism. Also, Continued service with the Washington Scholars Fellowship Program, Chairman of the Admiral Carey Foundation, all with a view towards aiding and mentoring the participants in the Washington Scholars Fellowship Programs. 

 
Lcpl. Brian P. Parrello, A Memorial Day Story
Brian in Fallujah
Lcpl. Parrello in Fallujah During "Operation Phantom Fury"

      In Iraq in 2004/2005 I served with a Marine special operations riverine unit formerly known as Small Craft Company, I was a team leader of a ground combat element whose sole purpose was to fight the enemy on the ground that targeted our boat patrols.  In short, when the boats took fire they flanked in, hit the shore to drop us off, and me and my team closed with and destroyed the enemy on foot while the boats supported us by fire.  Shortly after we fought in "Operation Phantom Fury" the Battle for Fallujah, we were sent to the city of Haditha to interdict insurgent operations there.  When my patrol took contact in Haditha, Iraq on New Year's Day January 1, 2005 we broke contact to bring our casualties to a casualty collection point.  We also had to pick up more guys for the ground effort as we were a riverine unit and my ground combat element team only consisted of six Marines including me.  Brian, of course, volunteered or more adequately put, threw on his gear and ran to the boats to join my ground combat element in our effort to seek out and destroy the enemy that attacked us just minutes earlier.  This is the type of Marine Brian was, he wouldn't hesitate to be the first man off the boat during a fight or the first man to kick a door down to a house full of insurgents.  We went back out after gathering more trigger pullers and once on the ground we began a movement to contact one hundred meters or so south of where the attack initially took place.  As we moved through palm groves on the edge of the Euphrates River I found a trail of blood leading into a pump-house so myself and my Gunny told the patrol to push forward a few meters and halt while we cleared the small pump house.  As we entered the house, Brian, Doc Juan Rubio, and Capt. Jonathan Kuniholm pushed up with the rest of the patrol and came across a coke can standing up in the dirt, the Capt. said "hey sometimes insurgents will use things like that to mark I.E.D.'s," and just that second a group of insurgents waiting for us to reach that can set off an I.E.D. that they emplaced directly beneath it when we went back to re-group.  The bomb was so massive that it blew three men several feet into the air and back against the wall of the pump house.  Capt. Kuniholm lost his right arm from just above the elbow down, Doc Rubio sustained only minor shrapnel injuries but Brian was hurt bad.  Brian's M-16 had been blown apart, his radio in pieces, and he suffered severe internal damage.  Myself and another Marine carried Brian to cover because after the explosion the insurgents opened up a barrage of heavy machine gun fire.  For a while I would hold Brian's hand as his legs were on my knee to treat him for shock and then I would begin engaging the enemy and this went on for what seemed like an eternity until the boats were able to pull up and come get Brian.  Brian died shortly after this on the helicopter that was taking him to a hospital.  It has now been six years since his death and I can remember it like it was yesterday.  I am in frequent contact with his Mother Shirley Parrello (who is an amazing woman and active in the Gold Star Moms Program) and I can assure you it feels like yesterday to her as well.  On this Memorial Day please remember the men and women like Brian who paid the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives fighting for our country, fighting for you and me.  I know that if given the chance, Brian would do it all over again and he is exactly the type of service member we need to celebrate and remember on this Memorial Day.   

 

Brian and Mom
Brian and Shirley Parrello

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Support for the Mil/Vet's Program Provided by:
  
Washington Scholars Fellowship Program

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WSFP Military Veteran's Program

 

 

 

 

 

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