Dr. Bruce Parry - CVO Chair

           Dr. Bruce Parry is a 1968 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in Vietnam with the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry of the 1st Cavalry Division from 1969 to 1971. At various times, he was an Infantry Platoon Leader, an Infantry Company Commander, as well as the Battalion Air Operations Office and the Battalion S-4 [Supply Officer]. He received the Silver Star, five Bronze Star Medals, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor and other awards for his service in Vietnam. After Vietnam, he served three additional years, including attendance at the Army's Infantry Officer Advanced Course, from which he was the Distinguished Honor Graduate.

After his service, Dr. Parry attended graduate school at the American University in Washington, DC, earning a Masters and Doctorate in Economics. He taught at the University of Baltimore. He was active in the veterans movement and the social movement for peace and justice in Baltimore. Since moving to Chicago in 1987, he has been an economic consultant and in management and has continued his social activism.

Dr. Parry first joined the veterans movement in 1979 in Baltimore where he was involved in the formation of the Baltimore chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America and a local organization, the Fraternal Order of Veterans. He served on the national board of the National Association of Concerned Veterans and has been a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War since the early 1980s. He has served as the Secretary of Veterans for Unification and as a member of the Mayor's Advisory Council on Veterans Affairs. He currently serves as Chair of the Coalition of Veterans Organizations.