Local residents will gather Monday morning at Warren County Memorial Airport to remember those who gave their lives defending America.
The ceremony, which always begins at 7 a.m. making it one of the earliest observances in the state, will be held outside the airport and lasts about 30 minutes.
The keynote speaker will be Lt. Col. Mark H. Ochsenbein, who, among his many military accomplishments, boasts over 700 parachute jumps including several balloon jumps with the Thai Special Forces in Thailand. His decorations and badges include the Bronze Star, Air Medal for Valor, Master Aviator’s Badge, Master Parachutist’s Badge, Special Forces Tab and Foreign Jump Wings from Thailand, Honduras, Germany and Canada.
Lt. Col. Ochsenbein has done numerous tours including stints in Korea and Ft. Bragg. His operations include Prime Chance and Earnest Will in the Persian Gulf, Operation Just Cause in Panama, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. He has accumulated over 100 hours of combat flight time in the MH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.
He is currently director of student activities at Tennessee Tech and in his spare time conducts federal background investigations for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. He is the past American Legion District Commander for the 4th District and is the assistant director of the Tennessee American Legion Boys State, and section counselor with the Boys Nation Program. He has been a member of American Legion for 17 years.