Celebrating Our Veterans

Veterans Day holds a special place for me; it’s a time to thank those who do the often thankless job of defending our values, our ideals, and our families. It’s a day to celebrate the people who willingly put on the uniform, putting themselves in danger and committing to get their hands dirty in order to protect and serve.

img_tyler-parris -in-dress-marine-uniform-with-katie These values: honor, courage, commitment, are why I married a Marine. Honestly, I find many parallels in the maintenance industry at large; it is filled with everyday heroes willing to take on the invisible tasks that keep buildings running and human occupants comfortable.

Today, we celebrate the men and women who have served in uniform. Thank you for your time in the service and for bringing that same sense of duty back to our industry! Here are a few of our own we would like to shine a spotlight on on this day.

Doug McKinney

Doug has been with The Part Works for 21 years and is currently working on our Customer Service team. He served for three years as a specialist in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era. After enlisting at the age of 17 and completing his training, Doug originally received orders for Vietnam. After preparing for departure, though, Doug was reassigned to Germany, where he became the company armorer and ran gun ranges for the battalion.

Russell Hall

Russell has been with The Part Works for two years, working with our warehouse team. Russell enlisted in the military when he was 20 years old while living in Albany, NY. He recalls it as an opportunity to get out and see the parts of the world that he wouldn’t be able to otherwise. Russell ended up serving in the United States Army Cavalry Scout division for over nine years, achieving the rank of Specialist. During his service, he was stationed in Fort Lewis, Northern Iraq, Baghdad, and Bavaria, Germany.

Russell recalled that once, after a long day prepping and convoying to a small border town between Syria and Iraq, he had settled in for their mission to provide assistance and training to the the Iraqi Army. He shared, “my buddy and I were hungry on a patrol of the square, and he came back with a cooked chicken. We would go days without eating food that wasn’t MREs, so I didn't think anything of it. When I started thinking about it days later, I realized I had never seen a chicken in Iraq. Not one. I have settled on the possibility that it was a goat.”

Robert Jones

(Tyler Jones's father)

Robert Jones is the father of Tyler Jones, who works on our Sales team. Robert served for 24 years as a member of the United States Air Force, achieving the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. During his 24 years of service, Robert was stationed throughout the globe, including stops in Arizona, California, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, and Qatar.

Robert shares that, “There were many memories and friends, but supporting Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Desert Fox, Desert Thunder, Allied Force, Operation Neptune Spear, Operation Octave Fusion, and supporting launch operations at Cape Canaveral were likely my best memories.”

When thinking back on his father’s time in the military and what it meant for him as a child, Tyler says, “Moving every four years and seeing new places and meeting new people and making so many friends. I think my dad being in the military had a lot to do with the person I am today.”

Tyler Parris

(Katie Parris' husband)

Tyler is the spouse of Katie Parris, owner and president of The Part Works. Tyler spent eight years serving in the United States Marine Corps, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was stationed in Cincinnati, at Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis McChord), and in Dijibouti, Africa. When we asked Tyler why he decided to join the military, he said: “At first, because I was young and dumb – I thought it would be cool to wear the Marines dress blues and impress girls (not kidding). I actually didn’t finish boot camp that time. But I went back six years later to finish what I started and to prove to myself that I could follow through on a commitment that was not easy.” Tyler says some of the most memorable times from his service were: “from flying in the back of a CH-53 around Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia; to wrestling the biggest, baddest guy in my unit and holding my own with no prior wrestling experience.”

Harmon E Yeager

(grandfather of Jason Hurd)

Harmon E Yeager is the grandfather of Jason Hurd, who works on our Website team. Harmon was a Corporal in the United States Army Combat Infantry division during World War II. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart when he became injured in a fox hole in Nazi Germany. Harmon didn’t talk much about his time serving, but due to the medals he was awarded we can only imagine the experiences he had.