thedrifter
10-23-08, 05:54 AM
Marines promote drug-free living
By Marcus E. Howard
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
NORTH COBB - Lt. Col. Jeff Parker and his ex-wife, Beth Fowler, have been teaching their two children about the dangers of drugs since their kids began attending school. On Wednesday, the father was at Kell High School, where his children attend, to teach their schoolmates that lesson as well.
To bring home the message, Jeff Parker and five other Marines arrived in grand fashion, landing an UH-1N Huey helicopter and an AH-IW Cobra helicopter on the Longhorns' practice football field. The visit was to help kick off National Red Ribbon Week, an anti-drug campaign that begins today and ends Oct. 31.
"We've tried to talk to our kids over the years basically about choices," Jeff Parker, 46, said. "This is a big part of it, and being able to support this is kind of nice."
Jeff Parker's involvement in the anti-drug program has been bookends for his son's school career. Back when his son, Jake Parker, was in first-grade, Jeff Parker participated in National Red Ribbon Week by flying to his elementary school in an aircraft.
"We were asked to provide support, and we thought that it was a great idea to find some way to make an immediate impression," Jeff Parker said at Kell. "You fly in here with a couple of helicopters and say, 'Listen to me.' You'll get their attention."
Jake Parker, a 17-year-old senior at Kell, said, "He told us of his morals and he really didn't have to force us too much, or punish us too much, because we pretty much have the same morals."
He and his sister, Katie Parker, 16, a sophomore, said it was cool watching their dad and his Marine buddies land helicopters on the campus.
Though there is a lot of pressure for kids, particular those in high school to experiment with drugs, Katie Parker said her parents have taught her well to avoid those influences.
"I don't really hang out with the kind of crowd that does that," Katie Parker said. "I usually stick with the people who are on a good path and have their head on straight."
The National Family Partnership organized the first nationwide Red Ribbon campaign in 1985. The red ribbons are worn in memory of the late Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena, who was tortured and killed in 1985 while conducting an undercover drug investigation in Mexico. The weeklong effort seeks to unite communities across the U.S. in promoting a drug-free lifestyle.
Kell Assistant Principal Dackri Davis said the schools' Parent Teacher Student Association has planned a theme for each day and will put notes and candy on students' cars to remind them to stay drug free. She also said it was exciting to see the helicopters land.
"You could hear them, and the next thing you know, they were coming straight down," she said. "It was cool."
The Cobra helicopter is used primarily for close military air support, said Parker, while the Huey - known for its widespread use in the Vietnam War - is used for close air support and transporting troops and certain cargo.
Parker lives in Destin, Fla., but his reserve HMLA-773 Red Dogs squadron is based at Marietta's Naval Air Station Atlanta. He and his fellow Marines spoke to the entire school during lunch breaks and allowed seniors to climb into the helicopters.
"I think it has opened their ears so that they can be receptive to the messages that they're going to hear today and later this week," Parker said.
For more information about National Red Ribbon Week, visit the National Family Partnership's Web site at www.nfp.org/redribbon.htm.
mhoward@mdjonline.com
Ellie
By Marcus E. Howard
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
NORTH COBB - Lt. Col. Jeff Parker and his ex-wife, Beth Fowler, have been teaching their two children about the dangers of drugs since their kids began attending school. On Wednesday, the father was at Kell High School, where his children attend, to teach their schoolmates that lesson as well.
To bring home the message, Jeff Parker and five other Marines arrived in grand fashion, landing an UH-1N Huey helicopter and an AH-IW Cobra helicopter on the Longhorns' practice football field. The visit was to help kick off National Red Ribbon Week, an anti-drug campaign that begins today and ends Oct. 31.
"We've tried to talk to our kids over the years basically about choices," Jeff Parker, 46, said. "This is a big part of it, and being able to support this is kind of nice."
Jeff Parker's involvement in the anti-drug program has been bookends for his son's school career. Back when his son, Jake Parker, was in first-grade, Jeff Parker participated in National Red Ribbon Week by flying to his elementary school in an aircraft.
"We were asked to provide support, and we thought that it was a great idea to find some way to make an immediate impression," Jeff Parker said at Kell. "You fly in here with a couple of helicopters and say, 'Listen to me.' You'll get their attention."
Jake Parker, a 17-year-old senior at Kell, said, "He told us of his morals and he really didn't have to force us too much, or punish us too much, because we pretty much have the same morals."
He and his sister, Katie Parker, 16, a sophomore, said it was cool watching their dad and his Marine buddies land helicopters on the campus.
Though there is a lot of pressure for kids, particular those in high school to experiment with drugs, Katie Parker said her parents have taught her well to avoid those influences.
"I don't really hang out with the kind of crowd that does that," Katie Parker said. "I usually stick with the people who are on a good path and have their head on straight."
The National Family Partnership organized the first nationwide Red Ribbon campaign in 1985. The red ribbons are worn in memory of the late Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena, who was tortured and killed in 1985 while conducting an undercover drug investigation in Mexico. The weeklong effort seeks to unite communities across the U.S. in promoting a drug-free lifestyle.
Kell Assistant Principal Dackri Davis said the schools' Parent Teacher Student Association has planned a theme for each day and will put notes and candy on students' cars to remind them to stay drug free. She also said it was exciting to see the helicopters land.
"You could hear them, and the next thing you know, they were coming straight down," she said. "It was cool."
The Cobra helicopter is used primarily for close military air support, said Parker, while the Huey - known for its widespread use in the Vietnam War - is used for close air support and transporting troops and certain cargo.
Parker lives in Destin, Fla., but his reserve HMLA-773 Red Dogs squadron is based at Marietta's Naval Air Station Atlanta. He and his fellow Marines spoke to the entire school during lunch breaks and allowed seniors to climb into the helicopters.
"I think it has opened their ears so that they can be receptive to the messages that they're going to hear today and later this week," Parker said.
For more information about National Red Ribbon Week, visit the National Family Partnership's Web site at www.nfp.org/redribbon.htm.
mhoward@mdjonline.com
Ellie