Commander speaks to veterans at local facility

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. --  Col. Michael Panarisi, the commander of AEDC, was the guest speaker at a lunch held in honor of veterans employed at Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire's Warren County plant in Morrison, Tenn., Nov. 11.
"We have 235 veterans here at our plant [altogether]," said Bridgestone Manager of Technical Training and Performance Keith Hamilton. "It means a lot to us and to our veterans to have Colonel Panarisi come and speak. The things that he had to say were just inspiring, not only to our veterans. We [also] have a lot of our non-veterans staff in attendance at his presentation today.
"Feedback from the folks who were here has been very positive," he continued, explaining that more than 100 veterans on the day shift were able to attend. "It was what it was meant to be, a day for all of us to remember those who have sacrificed in the service to this country."
During his presentation, Colonel Panarisi compared and contrasted the oath America's service members give when they join the military, with their counterparts from other countries, including the former Soviet Union.
John Breland, an in-house contractor at Bridgestone, who helps the maintenance people install machinery, served in the Air Force from 1977 until 1981 as an armor assistance specialist. He said he appreciated Colonel Panarisi taking the time to speak to the veterans at the plant.
Breland said Veteran's Day also had particular significance to him for another reason.
"My daughter, she's in the Army," he said. "She just got out, [but] she was at Fort Hood last week when that [shooting] happened. Her husband is still in, they're stationed there. They were on the opposite side of the base when this took place."
Bridgestone Operator Technician Charlie Ethridge, who served for six years in the Army, including a tour in South Korea, is proud to have served his country. He said Veteran's Day means a lot to him.
"It signifies to me the tremendous effort, expense and pride that people put into protecting our country," he said. "I'm extremely glad to have been a part of that. I have a sense of pride knowing I had some small part in helping keep people in our country free."
Ethridge, who has worked at the Warren County plant for close to 20 years, said he was pleased with the respect and appreciation demonstrated by Bridgestone in inviting Colonel Panarisi to speak on Veteran's Day.
The Air Force veteran said it was also gratifying to hear an active duty officer express his appreciation for those who had gone before him.