July 4 honors veterans
With America 250 as its theme this year, the Town of Farragut Parks & Recreation is celebrating the country’s independence by honoring its veterans for its 2026 Independence Day parade.
“Each year, we get to select the grand marshal,” said Dian Hall, a member of Farragut Parks & Athletics Council. “This year, we decided on military veterans because it’s the 250th anniversary.
Since Hall is a veteran herself, having served 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, Parks and Recreation director Ron Oestreich suggested Hall head up the search.
“We have gotten to the point we have 15 veterans,” said Hall, who earned a Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship, graduated from Indiana University and enlisted in 1985. After serving four years, she realized she loved the Air Force and continued serving. While in the Air Force, she met her husband, who also was in the military. They retired in 2012.
Those veterans are: Fred Adomat, Coast Guard; Jim Bolon, Navy; Nancy Bolon, Navy; Marilyn Childress, Navy; Bill Craddick, Army; Dave Fahidy, Marine Corps; Gerry Godolphin, Air Force; Stewart Greenfield, Marine Corps.; Jessica Hodge, Marine Corps, Dennis Laneman, Army; Kristi Luttrell, Coast Guard; Jim O’Brien, Air Force; Scott Rastovic, Air Force; Noell Simmons, Air Force; and Jason Simon, Navy.
“We went out in lots of different ways to search for veterans,” she said.
For example, after talking to one of the veterans, she learned about another veteran.
“So we have this whole list that came together from all sorts of different places,” Hall said. “It’s fascinating all the different people who are here.”
Parade-goers will find it easy to spot them in the parade as they will be riding in Corvettes.
“The Lions Club stepped up and said, ‘We have these
Corvettes,’” Hall related. “We have seven Corvettes and have to get one more because we have 15 people, but two in each Corvette.
“Our focus was primarily Farragut,” she said “We ended up with a few people in
Farragut area, like Jessica Hodge, who set up a women’s veterans organization for East Tennessee.
