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Two grand marshals named for Howard County Veterans Day Parade

The Howard County Veterans Foundation with the Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony Planning Committee named Tracy Adkins and Kelly Kesler grand marshals of the 2024 Howard County Veterans Day Parade.

Organizers bestow the grand marshal title on individuals who represent the values and morals of the Howard County community of veterans and military families. This year’s grand marshal nominations followed the 2024 theme “honoring our military families.”

Tracy Adkins has dedicated her life to supporting military families, including her own, consisting of her husband, retired Col. Win Adkins, and son, Mitchell Adkins, a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. She has navigated moves to the Indo-Pacific and European commands and her husband’s deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, South America and other locations.

Among her roles, Adkins served as the family readiness programs manager for a special mission unit and Fort Meade chapter director of Blue Star Families, which strengthens military families and communities, as well as a volunteer for the Special Operations Command Care Coalition, Armed Forces Foundation, American Red Cross and the United Service Organizations at Fort Meade and Fort Belvoir. She has been recognized with civilian medals and awards for her efforts.

Outside her service to military families, Adkins supervises active aging programs for Howard County Recreation and Parks.

Kelly Kesler has spent more than 10 years advocating for disabled veterans, including her husband who lives with medical needs following burn pit exposure. She navigated the Veterans Benefits Administration’s process to ensure her husband received full disability recognition and medical care, while raising children through school and extracurricular activities.

Kesler champions military families in Howard County. She served as the recording secretary for the Howard County Commission for Veterans and Military Families and as director of the Howard County Health Department’s Bureau of Population Growth and Local Health Improvement Coalition, where she brought in veterans to serve on the Behavioral Health Committee.

An advocate in Maryland schools, Kesler supports the state’s Purple Star School Program, which recognizes schools that support military-connected students and their families, and served on the Long Reach High School PTA, bringing the school’s band into the Veterans Day Parade. She also helped establish programs for veterans at the University of Maryland.

The Howard County Veterans Day Parade will take place Sunday, Nov. 10, at 9:30 a.m. in downtown Columbia. To learn more, visit HowardCountyVeterans.org/parade.

What the Monument Means to Me: Cherron Blakely

“I come from a long line of service members in my family. The idea of service to our country is important to me and my family because of the generations of service. The monument in Howard County will honor this sense of pride and purpose. It will be a place of reflection and acknowledgement of service and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

-Cherron Blakely, U.S. Army Veteran

Want to share what the monument means to you? Click here to tell your story! Want to help us finish the mission? Click here to make a donation to the monument campaign.

What the Monument Means to Me: Philip W. Gibbs

“The construction of the Howard County Veterans and Military Families Monument is not just a project but a symbol of our community’s support for those who have served our country. It honors the sacrifices of countless men and women and will be a visible reminder that freedom is not ‘free.’

“I am dedicating my support to my father, USMC Captain Haywood P. Gibbs, Sr., who served for 25 years. My story mirrors many others. While attending East Carolina University, I entered the Marine Corps Platoon leadership class, which prepared me to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. My career took a detour after I suffered a broken neck in 1980. Upon recovering, I was offered an opportunity to work for my mentor, Ed Hamel.

“Today, many service members are struggling. It’s vital we acknowledge their sacrifices and provide them with something meaningful. This monument will be a special place for people to show their appreciation and support for our veterans and their families.”

Written by Philip W. Gibbs, Marine Corps Veteran and President of Hamel Builders

Want to share what the monument means to you? Click here to tell your story! Want to help us finish the mission? Click here to make a donation to the monument campaign.

VSOs to Host Memorial Day Ceremonies in Howard County

The annual Howard County Veteran Service Organizations Memorial Day Ceremonies will occur on Sunday, May 26 and Monday, May 27.

On Sunday, May 26 at noon, Howard County’s American Legion Post 156 and Marine Corps League Detachment 1084 will conduct a Memorial Day Ceremony at St. John Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, Maryland (9120 Frederick Road). The Color Guard will be provided by the Howard County Civil Air Patrol, and the guest speaker will be Cole Schnorf, a Gold Star Family Member, who will be providing comments on the meaning of Memorial Day for a Gold Star Family Member.

On Sunday, May 26 at 2 p.m., Howard County’s VFW Post 7472 will conduct a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Ellicott City VFW Post 7472 Post (4225 VFW Lane). The Color Guard will be provided by VFW Post 7472, and the guest speaker will be Naomi Ling, a graduating River Hill High School senior, National Merit Scholarship winner, award-winning poet, and founder of the RHHS Students Partner with Veterans Club. Naomi will be providing a talk on the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn (and the ultimate sacrifice of the Maryland 400).

On Monday, May 27 at 8 a.m., Howard County’s Marine Corps League Detachment 1084 will take part in the Harriet Tubman Memorial Day Ceremony hosted by the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center in Columbia, Maryland (8045 Harriet Tubman Lane). The Color Guard will be provided by the Howard High School Junior ROTC Unit, and the guest speaker will be the County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball. Dr. Ball is the proud son and grandson of U.S. Military Veterans; his efforts have ensured the success of the Millie Bailey Park, the future home of the Howard County Veterans and Military Families Monument located near the Columbia Mall, and numerous Veteran and family member initiatives for Howard County.

A wreath laying ceremony will occur during all three ceremonies. All are invited to observe this patriotic ceremony rendering final honors to Our Nation’s Colors.

Howard County Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) include the American Legion Posts 156 and 300, VFW Post 7472, Marine Corps League Detachment 1084, the Civil Air Patrol, The Colonel Dorsey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Charles Carroll Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Maryland Gold Star Mothers and Maryland Chapter Chesapeake Blue Star Mothers and the Students Partnering with Veterans Club.

For more information on Howard County’s Memorial Day Ceremonies, please contact: Greg Jolissaint, Public Affairs Officer, American Legion Post 156, at pao_legion_post_156_maryland@yahoo.com.

Edward Hall named grand marshal of Howard County Veterans Day Parade

The Howard County Veterans Foundation with the Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony Planning Committee named Edward A. Hall grand marshal of the 2023 Howard County Veterans Day Parade. Organizers bestow the grand marshal title on an individual who represents the values and morals of the Howard County community of veterans and military families.

Hall retired as a lieutenant colonel after 24 years of service with the U.S. Marine Corps. His career with the Marines included service as an infantry officer and rifle platoon leader, commanding officer of a naval security group and head of electronic intelligence support and commercial mobile radio service operations for the Fleet Marine Force Atlantic Command.

Outside his military service, Hall is president and founder of TelecomXchange International, a telecom-based test, evaluation and support firm. Previously, he spent seven years at the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.

Hall is a lifetime member of the Marine Corps League, Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion. He was a commander of the American Legion Post 156 in Ellicott City. He also serves as commander of the Joint Military Council in Howard County, paymaster for a detachment of the Marine Corps League and president emeritus of the Old Post Rifle and Pistol Club.

His service to the veteran community includes helping to establish the Howard County Veterans Day Parade in 2015. The parade, which this year begins at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12, in Columbia’s Merriweather District, will honor all branches of the U.S. military, the National Guard, first responders and their families. As grand marshal, Hall will be recognized at the parade and lakefront ceremony.

To learn more about the Howard County Veterans Day Parade, visit HowardCountyVeterans.org/parade.

Donate to Bailey’s Bundles at the 2023 Veterans Day Parade

During this year’s Howard County Veterans Day Parade & Celebration, the Columbia Association and POST 156 are collaborating with Bailey’s Bundles to collect donated items for care packages to be sent overseas to deployed troops. These care packages continue the legacy of Vivian “Millie” Bailey, who served as a first lieutenant in the Women’s Army Corps during World War 2 and was a longtime champion of Veterans in the Howard County community.

You’re welcome to donate items from the list below to help fill boxes that will be sent to American service men and women across the globe. Donation drop boxes will be stationed at the Lakefront prior to the celebration.

All donated items should be small, portable and individually wrapped for ease of distribution. Snacks should be in small packages.

  • Kind Bars
  • LaraBars
  • Protein bars, granola bars or nut bars
  • Beef jerky or Slim Jims
  • Pringles (small snack size containers)
  • Trail mix, peanuts, mixed nuts, etc.
  • Cheez-its, cheese or peanut butter crackers
  • Cookies
  • Tuna Lunches to Go
  • Individual Drink mix packets (i.e. – Crystal Light, Mio, Gatorade, Propel)
  • Word puzzles, crossword puzzles, Sudoku