Soldier Fired From Teaching Job for Military Service
News Channel 5 (Tennessee) ^ | 7-13-06
Posted on 07/13/2006 7:38:25 AM MDT by Littlejon
A Wilson County soldier went to war and now is fighting another battle back here at home. Capt. John Parker says he was forced to decide between serving his country and saving his job as a school teacher.
Like so many soldiers who have helped fight the war on terror, Capt. John Parker put his life on the line every day while he was deployed in Afghanistan.
"I signed up to serve my country," Parker tells NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Jennifer Kraus.
And serve he did, which is why he was so shocked at how he was treated when he came back home to Wilson County.
"It just made me feel that the people I was fighting for were the exact people that were taking my job from me," he adds.
You see, Parker is not just a soldier.
He's also a teacher who taught criminal justice to high school students and helped coach the school wrestling team. before he was sent to the Middle East with the Army Reserves.
Parker says that before he left, "I just told all the kids, 'Hey, I'll be going, but I'll be back.'"
(Excerpt) Read more at newschannel5.com ...
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