Texas Lottery Veteran Recognition: Keith A. Parry

Keith Parry said he always knew he wanted to be part of the United States Marine Corps. Military service runs throughout Parry's family history, and by honoring that innate call, Parry stepped forward as a leader throughout his infantry, intelligence and special operations assignments. His combat deployments span decades, and Parry's personal decorations include the Legion of Merit and three Bronze Stars (with combat valor devices), yet his 30-year service career is distinguished by a unique ability to train, understand and organize Marines at every level he commanded.

Parry Feature Following his first operational tour, Parry served as an instructor at The Basic School and Infantry Officers Course in Quantico, Virginia, where early career officers learn leadership, ground infantry operations and overall combat preparations; he trained more than 1,000 new officers during his time at Marine Corps Combat Development Command. Then, from 2002-2012, Parry conducted six combat deployments throughout Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, and led his teams through reconnaissance missions, raids, civil-military operations and other combat missions.

"I had important mentors, both as a young, enlisted Marine and also as an officer, who taught me this is not about me, but about the people I was blessed to be able to lead," said Parry, who was promoted to Colonel in 2016. "I never took that for granted, and it guided me to focus on my teams to help them survive the rigors of combat."

The common ethos or refrain within the Marine Corps is "Mission first, Marines always," yet Parry's unconventional philosophy confused his superiors. His leadership style reversed the doctrine through accountability and servant leadership to his units. Parry believed if they were well-trained for the mission, disciplined to respond to a variety of situations and trusted that he was advocating for them throughout the chain of command, then his teams would be able to execute in any environment.

"Marines first, mission always," became Parry's personal code because those "bonds of trust are the greatest combat multipliers," he said.

Parry had experience training and leading multiple units and teams, both general ground forces and special operators, in the build-up to and during numerous deployments. For six to nine months prior to deployment, they train techniques, strategies and tactics so that once on the battlefield, they are prepared for anything they might encounter against enemy actions. In addition to tactical skills, the teams also form communication behaviors and relational skills so they can move and adapt as a cohesive group.

"No plan ever survives first contact," Parry said. Because his teams trusted "commander's intent," he in turn trusted them to respond situationally and communicate modifications as needed. Parry said the ability to adapt and improvise is the most significant differentiator among special operations forces.

"Their experience and maturity help to better assess and mitigate risk. They have the skillsets and training to modify on the fly, and be bold but not reckless," Parry said.

In 2012, Parry relinquished battalion command and reported to the National War College at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. for an intensive one-year master's program in National Security Strategy. Upon graduation, he was assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at the Pentagon; Parry served as the special operations liaison officer to the Joint Staff and Office of the Secretary of Defense, as well as Executive Officer to the Vice Commander of USSOCOM.

Promoted to Colonel in October 2016, Parry was chosen as Branch Head for Special Operations Directorate, Plans, Policies and Operations at Headquarters Marine Corps. By the time he retired in 2019, Parry was already planning and pursuing his post-military journey. His work in the Pentagon exposed Parry to budgeting and the business side of warfighting, and during his last six months of active duty, Parry was commuting between Washington D.C. and Austin while studying in the Executive MBA program at The University of Texas and developing a plan for his family to transition and put down roots in Central Texas.

Currently, Parry is the Vice President of Risk Management, Business Continuity, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Public Safety for the Lower Colorado River Authority. He and his wife, Nancy, have twins Ashlee and Zachary, and they reside in Austin. Parry also serves as the Central Texas ambassador for The Honor Foundation, a special operations focused executive transition program.

"Even today, I continue to draw inspiration from my teams and those relationships," Parry said.

Parry Feature

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Texas Lottery Veteran Recognition: Keith A. Parry