Major John Parker (USAF Ret.), at right, and his son, Navy EM5 Tom Parker, during Tom’s graduation from naval recruit training at Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois in 2016.
Major John Parker (USAF Ret.) of High Ridge sent in photos of himself and his Navy son, Tom.
Major Parker joined the Air Force in 1982, serving with the Strategic Air Command, and retired from the Air Combat Command in April 2003.
“After I retired, I went to work for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education running a program called Troops to Teachers that operated in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas,” he said. “The same skill set you use in the military – long hours, low pay – turns out that’s the skill set you use as a teacher.”
Major John Parker and his wife, Dotty, on the day of their son’s graduation from Navy training.
Major Parker in the classroom in November 2016. “I always put on my ‘blues’ every Veterans Day,” he said. “It draws the kids’ attention, and I can explain the different military branches and what they do.”
Program participants get a $10,000 stipend to help them obtain teaching credentials.
Major Parker left the job directing the program in order to take part in it, and now teaches special education classes at Rockwood South Middle School for the Special School District of St. Louis County.
“I’ve always felt a call to public service,” he said. “I served as an alderman in Des Peres, and we’ve fostered many children, adopting two. It’s important to give back.”
