Honoring Our Heroes

Specialist Travis Parker: Age 72

Specialist (SPC) Travis Parker served two years and six months in the U.S. Army. His Military Occupational Specialist included MedicalCorpsman, Medical Specialist and Bandsman. He received the following medals, decorations, commendations and ribbons: National Defense Medal. Since his tenure in the military, he has

exhibited excellent, dedicated and consummate service to veterans.

SPC Parker was born June 8, 1952 in Montgomery, AL, to his parents, Ted and Martha Parker. He was reared there and graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in 1970. While serving in the Army, SPC Parker took up residence in the Wiregrass Area which is named for having an abundance of grass having wiry stems and leaves, and it encompasses the southern portions of southern GA, southeast AL and the FL Panhandle.

After receiving a draft notice, SPC Parker volunteered and enlisted in the U.S. Army adding extra time so that he could become a Medic. He enlisted in Montgomery AL, in December 1972, and then completed eight weeks of Boot Camp at Ft. Knox, KY, although he preferred beginning service at Ft. Polk, LA, because of the cold winters in Kentucky which happened to be the worst in years. While at Ft. Knox, the Paris Peace Accords, officially the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam as a peace agreement, was signed on January 27, 1973 to end the Vietnam War. This resulted in the discontinuance of sending troops to Vietnam which meant his not having to serve in combat in Vietnam after his training. Next, he completed Advanced Individual Training (AIT) as a Medical Corpsman at Ft. Sam Houston, TX, and he was a mentor during part of the training. He was stationed at Ft. Rucker, AL as a Medic taking care of many returning Vietnam Veterans and as a Bandsman for two years before being Honorably Discharged from military service in July 1975.

After his military service, SPC Parker used the GI Bill to attend Enterprise State Junior College (ESJC) and Troy State University. He later taught percussion at ESJC because he was a “Qualified Expert in his Field” partly due to having played drums in the Army Band thus bypassing the need for a college degree. While stationed at Ft. Rucker, he started a music store business, Travis Muzik, with eventual stores in the cities of Enterprise, Dothan, Elba, Troy and Daleville in southeast Alabama which continued for 35 years. He also had a tanning salon, Travis Tanz, for 10 years in Enterprise.

SPC Parker has worked in real estate for over 30 years as an investor and owner of rental property, and then he became a realtor for the retail part of that business. He had been a pre-med student in college, but while in the military, he decided that he preferred the business world. He worked for other real estate companies for 14 years and then started his own business, Travis Realty, three years ago. In his 17 years as a realtor, he has served as the President of the Wiregrass Board of Realtors on two separate occasions and as State Director for the AL Association of Realtors for five years. He has twice won the local Realtor of the Year Award, an Award bestowed by his peers and placed in the top five Realtors in Alabama one year. The public had voted him in the top two Realtors in the Reader’s Choice Awards for four years before winning this award three times namely in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He is the only Premier Luxury Marketing Consultant in South Alabama. Reaching beyond state lines, he has been nominated for the National Association of Realtors Good Neighbor Award and RISMedia 2020 Real Estate Newsmakers. He is the first real estate agent in Alabama to be selected to be on the cover of Broker Agent Magazine. Some of his civic work has been featured on the Realtor’s National Facebook page. A firm believer in all types of education whether as a youth or as an adult in business, he holds more designations and certification than probably the next three or four area realtors combined. He is one of the few realtors in the U.S.A. to have three certifications for working with the military. He was one of the two Wiregrass Real Estate Political Field Operatives representing Real Estate for the U.S. Representative Martha Roby during her last term in office.

In addition to real estate, he writes for the Southern Star news-paper in Ozark and Dale County, Alabama. and he has had articles published in other area printed media. His voluntary work is exemplary verified by being awarded the Gold National Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) by President Biden for his vast body of volunteer work. His dedication towards assisting veterans is commendable. He is very active in veterans’ organizations including AMVETS Post 7 serving as the Post Sr. Vice Commander and the State Public Relations Chairman, a past American Legion District Chaplain and currently Sr. Vice President of Legion Post 82 in Ozark, Vietnam Veterans of America local past Vice President, Coffee County Veterans Founder, Wiregrass Honor Flight Hub founder, etc. He is or has been a valuable member/officer in several civic organizations including the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Civitan AL-West FL District Past Governor and past two term Enterprise Chapter President, Sons of the American Revolution Wiregrass Chapter President three terms and Hand up Enterprise Veteran Coordinator. His latest project is Guitars for Vets, and he will lead the opening of the first chapter in Alabama.

For his vast civic volunteering, SPC Parker has received well deserved recognition and honors such as the 2020 Enterprise Man of the Year, the Vietnam Veterans Veteran of the Year, the Enterprise Civitan Club Citizen of the Year twice, the Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year and recognition from the Governor of Kentucky as an Honorary Kentucky Colonel. He is the Sons of the American Revolution Alabama State Chairman of the Veterans Committee and the Veterans Recognition Committee. He founded the Coffee County Veterans Organization to honor veterans both living and dead by placing flags and wreaths on the graves of veterans in more than two dozen cemeteries in the Wiregrass. They place moveable displays of 660 Flags for Forgotten Soldiers and place several 152 flag displays for Operation We Remember to bring the awareness of veterans’ suicides to the forefront. He provided leadership in bringing the traveling Vietnam Wall to Dothan for the 50th anniversary of the end of the

Vietnam War because he felt it was a tribute to those who had served during that time. He raised money to bring the traveling Vietnam Wall to the Wiregrass area in 2023. As a former Army Medic and current member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), he wanted to honor first responders. He started the first local 9/11 Patriot Day Ceremony in 2020. Then he added 9/11 Ceremonies in 2022 for Daleville and Elba, AL, and helped with one in Geneva, AL. He is the Secretary of Recovery Operation of Coffee County (R.O.C.C.), a disaster readiness operation. He started the

Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony and the local Wreaths Across America events in 2015. He helped start the Association of Service Agencies (ASA) that gets area civic, church and governmental groups together to share information and ideas as well as to work together on projects. He is a counselor for the

Military Support Group and the Battle Buddies Ready to Assist Veterans

Everywhere (B.R.A.V.E.). He was invited to serve on the Coffee County Arts Alliance Board, the Wiregrass Blues Society Board and the local political party county and state committees. He is an active member of the Luxe Mastermind Networking Group serving as a mentor and with public relations. He is constantly asked to help civic groups get publicity with print, television, radio and podcast media, and he donates his time for this. WDHN-TV was so

impressed during their coverage of his various projects that it did a What’s Good in the Neighborhood segment on him and his voluntary work.

SPC Parker has one daughter and two grandchildren who think he is great, and he pays them good money to say so. His religious efforts include distributing Bibles as a Gideon as well as playing in the Church band and serving as one of the Public Relations coordinators for Joy Fellowship Church. He attends weekly Bible study classes and monthly “Men of Valor” meetings. He helps at the Faith Baptist Church Free Medical Clinic, and he coordinates the building of wheelchair ramps as well as collecting, repairing, cleaning and giving away used wheelchairs. He often serves as an inspirational speaker at various churches and civic groups for adults and youth. He does not have much leisure time as he still works 30+ hours weekly in real estate, reporting for newspapers, and devotes 40+ hours weekly to civic work. When he actually gets a few hours off, SPC Parker enjoys learning ballroom dancing.

SPC Parker reflects on his military service saying, “It gave me a break in life and a time to decide what I really wanted to do from then on. Obviously having served even a relatively short time is an extra source of pride. My time in the service was very uneventful, but I believe that I have done a good job for veterans since I got out.” He would like people to remember that he tried to help other people by getting various groups to work together and to work more efficiently. Because he was brought up in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and helping at church and through the examples and teaching of his parents, he has been helping others almost his whole life.

THE VIEWS OF SUBMITTED EDITORIALS MAY NOT BE THE EXPRESS VIEWS OF THE ALABAMA GAZETTE.