By Doug La Rocque
Petersburgh resident John E. Parkinson was recently inducted into the 2015 Veteran’s Hall of Fame by New York State Senator Kathy Marchione (R-Halfmoon). Parkinson was joined by six other honorees from Rensselaer, Saratoga and Columbia counties, in a ceremony held at the NYS Military Museum in Saratoga Springs.
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Mr. Parkinson joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1948. It was however, his service to his country in Korea from 1950 to 1952 that brought him honor and distinction. He first landed with the 1st Marine Division at Inchon Harbor and was involved in the fight to save the South Korean capital of Seoul. His Division then moved north where he was involved in the bloody Chosin Reservoir Campaign. For his heroics, he received two purple hearts, a Bronze Star-V and the Silver Star. Of the 96 men in Parkinson’s unit, only six lived through the battle. Today, he is the only surviving member.
As she inducted the seven men into the Hall, Senator Marchione said “The heroes we honored today defended freedom and served with true valor and distinction.” Other Rensselaer County inductees were WWII Navy veteran M. Duane Wehnau of Sand Lake and Vietnam Veteran William Allendorph, U.S. Army. Allendorph is a resident of Averill Park.
Parkinson was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1952. Now 86 year young, he resides on the Taconic Trail in Petersburgh.[/private]