María Elvira Salazar: “I rise to reflect for a moment on the service and life of SFC Michael Parrott of Tinmath, CO. Sergeant First Class…”

“I rise to reflect for a moment on the service and life of SFC Michael Parrott of Tinmath, CO. Sergeant First Class Parrott was tragically killed last month while serving this Nation in Balad, Iraq. Today would have been Sergeant First Class Parrott's 50th birthday. Mike Parrott was a native of Canton, NC, where he graduated from Pisgah High School in 1974 and went on to earn a degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. His 6-foot-tall frame made him hard to miss in a crowd, but it was his easy smile and brown eyes that first drew the attention of his wife, Meg, when she was a student at UNC-Asheville almost two decades ago. Mike Parrott was honest, opinionated, and unafraid to speak his mind. His wife, Meg, knew how unique Mike was when she discovered that he kept Voltaire in his bathroom. They celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary last month. Mike Parrott was an avid fan of the outdoors and could often be found biking, camping and hiking, activities he and Meg often enjoyed together. Mike rode his bike to and from work, and made it a point to run every day. In fact, this past year, on the day of the Leadville Marathon, Sergeant First Class Parrott laced up his running shoes and ran 26.2 miles in the blazing Iraqi heat. Sergeant First Class Parrott was a true American patriot. Sergeant First Class Parrott served in this Nation's armed forces for more than 15 years in active and reserve duties.…”