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Father inspires son who wins essay contest

  • Published
  • By Monte Miller
  • 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ILL. --  While most 16-year-old high school students are living for today, Parry Draper is drawing from the past and looking toward his future. 

Parry, the son of Lt. Col. Randon Draper, 18th Air Force chief of military justice, used his father's service in the Air Force as the topic of a winning essay written for the Veterans of Foreign Wars "Voice of Democracy" contest. 

Not only did Parry win at the local VFW Post level, but he has also won the regional level, and now he and his family will travel to the Illinois capitol to compete statewide.
 
"It really started just out of summer boredom," Parry said about his entrance into the essay contest. "I was online looking for scholarships." 

The theme of this year's contest was "Service and Sacrifice by American Veterans Benefit Today's Youth by ...." Because Parry has been around military bases all his life and known many veterans, the theme fit perfectly. 

As Parry put pen to paper, he reflected on his dad's deployment to Iraq in 2005 and the impact it had on his family. 

"He (Colonel Draper) volunteered to go to Iraq," Parry said. "I was confused as to why he would volunteer, put himself in danger and disrupt our family by going away. Now, I understand that our family was exactly why he volunteered. To defend the freedoms we do have." 

The essay has not only won Parry some cash, but has also resurrected those feelings of pride in his dad's service, which has prompted him to apply to the Air Force Academy in a few years after he graduates from Mascoutah High School. 

"It has helped me to have a better understanding of the big picture," Parry said. "I graduate in 2010 and want to go to the Air Force Academy to become a pilot." 

Parry added flying has always intrigued him and he has been looking into possible majors in college and the fields of aeronautical engineering and especially military strategy have caught his eye. 

As any father would be, Colonel Draper is very proud of his son and is humbled by Parry honoring him as the subject of his Voice of Democracy essay. 

"The whole family is very excited," Colonel Draper said. "Parry is a hard worker and it didn't surprise me that he won. What did surprise me was the fact he chose me. For him to write that makes me feel better about my service." 

Feeling better about his service includes thanking his family for their sacrifices to his career. 

"I'm honored he did this for me, but my family deserves the credit," Colonel Draper said. "Dependents are not given enough credit for what they go through. So, I honor Parry's and the rest of my families sacrifices." 

He is also very proud of his son's maturity and understanding of the sacrifices their family has made to better the country. The prospect of Parry attending the Air Force Academy is the icing on the cake. 

"I think he'll be a great candidate," Colonel Draper said. "He is a leader and very deep thinker." 

The Drapers are fairly new members of Team Scott, having just moved here from Japan in June. 

Colonel Draper said he and his family like living here and are looking forward to traveling to Springfield with Parry in early February to see the historic Abraham Lincoln sites. 

Created in 1947, the "Voice of Democracy" scholarship program is an audio-essay contest for high school students in grades 9-12 that annually provides more than $3 million in scholarships. 

The first-place winner, who competes with all the first-place VFW Department winners, receives a $30,000 scholarship that is paid directly to the recipient's American university, college or vocational/technical school. 

Besides competing for the top scholarship prize, as well as other national scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $16,000, each Department's first-place winner receives an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Target. 

The VOD program is endorsed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals' contest criteria and is designed to foster patriotism by allowing students the opportunity to voice their opinion in a three to five minute essay based on an annual theme. Each essay is then recorded onto cassette or CD for submission.