The 16th annual Memorial Day Ceremony in Wrightwood at their Veterans Memorial will feature as the principal speaker, Lt. Colonel Rick Ferrell, on the command staff at Ft. Irwin National Training Center, north of Barstow.
“We are pleased to have Colonel Ferrell with us at this special time,” reports Allan Miller, Veterans Memorial President. “We have, for a number of years now, developed a strong tie to our active military commands, and it will be good to have a Field Grade Officer from this important Army installation to talk to our community.”
The Memorial Day Ceremony, on Monday, May 27th, takes place at 11 a.m. at the Wrightwood Veterans Memorial on Evergreen Road, between Park Drive and Pine St. in the Village Center.
The hour-long ceremony will feature Claudia Campbell singing the “Star Spangled Banner,” songs by Lora Steinmann and the Wrightwood Chorus, and inspirational words by Pastor Dave Conrad.
LTC Ferrell, a native of Riverside, CA, has called the Army “home” since commissioning as an Armor Officer in 2003. The Colonel has deployed to the Middle East four times in his 21-year career. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal (Valor) and the Bronze Star Medal (Service).
Veteran Memorial members David De la Cruz and Catherine Schinhofen, who are stepping in to take a “hand-off” in future ceremonies from Tom Pinard, will handle the Honor Brick presentation and the POW-MIA Table history. Eleven new Bricks, coordinated by Wendi Schwab, have been placed in the Honor Court.
Pinard will give a short talk about the 100th anniversary of the founding of Wrightwood and its history with military installations in the region.
The Girl Scouts of Wrightwood continue to provide the Wreath Presentation. LT Robert Deaver, a resident of Wrightwood and assigned to Fort Irwin, has arranged for his Soldiers to assist in the ceremony, including the Wreath Presentation. Chris Johnson will perform the taps.
A flyover by military aircraft has been approved, and the aircraft availability is being processed.
LTC Rick M. Ferrell is a native of Riverside, CA. He was commissioned as an Armor Officer upon graduation from OCS in 2003.
LTC Ferrell was deployed as a Platoon Leader in 2004-05 to the Diyala Provence in Iraq with 278 ACR (TN ARNG). In 2008-09, he deployed as a Combat Advisor in support of the Iraqi Army’s 54th Brigade. Rick deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as a Company Commander with the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT), 4th Infantry Division from 2011-12.
His most recent deployment was to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield as a Brigade Operations Officer with 3rd ABCT, 1st AD from 2016-17.
Rick’s career highlights include Armor Platoon Leader, Combat Advisor, Company Commander, Observer Controller/Trainer (OC/T) at the National Training Center (NTC), Cavalry Squadron Operations Officer (S3) with 2-13 CAV, Brigade S3 with 3rd ABCT/1st AD, Future Operations Planner with Third Army (USARCENT), and Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of Third Army (USARCENT). Since arriving at Fort Irwin, he has served as the installation’s Director of Quality of Life.
LTC Ferrell holds a Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Arkansas. He earned his first Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Central Michigan University. His military Education includes the Armor Officer’s Basic Course, the Captain’s Career Course, the Cavalry Leader’s Course, the Combat Advisor Course, and the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, KS. He later attended the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) as a Field Select in 2017-2018 and earned an additional Master’s Degree in Military Operations.
LTC Ferrell’s military awards include:
- The Bronze Star Medal (Valor).
- The Bronze Star Medal (Service).
- The Meritorious Service Medal (3 OLC).
- The Army Commendation Medal (1 OLC).
- The Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC).
- The Valorous Unit Award.
- The Combat Action Badge.
Rick has been married to the former Laura Petersen since 2006. Rick and Laura are the proud parents of Luke Ferrell (13), born in 2011. Rick’s parents, Rick and Alicia, live in Apple Valley, CA.
