HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 Hall of Honor Inducteessaw combat duty in both
Korea and Vietnam and
also served 24 months on
the Pacific Command Staff
from 1968 -70. COL Parsons
was selected twice below
the zone for promotion and
commanded the 46th Field
Artillery Group and 4th
Infantry Division.
In 1971, COL Parsons
assumed duties as Commandant of the Corps
of Cadets and Professor of Military Science and
served in that capacity until his retirement from
the U.S. Army in 1977. He assisted the University
in bringing Naval ROTC to the campus in 1972 and
oversaw an extensive plan working with cadets,
administration and former students to address the
admission of women into the Corps. In 1974, he saw
the integration of females into the Corps and served
a key role in their involvement and success during
his last three years as Commandant. He became the
Director of Campus Security at Texas A &M in 1977.
In 1972, three motivated cadets approached COL
Parsons and asked for his help in reviving the fading
memory of the horse cavalry. Originally founded in
1919 as part of the program to commission reserve
officers into the Cavalry branch of the Army, the unit
thrived until 1943 when the horse branches were
disbanded and considered obsolete. Parsons gave
his blessing to the enterprise and the unit has since
been known as the Parsons Mounted Cavalry.
COLONEL JAMES R. WOODALL 50
Colonel Jim Woodall
received a Bachelor of
Science in Agricultural
Administration from Texas
A &M. He also received
a Masters of Business
Administration from
Shippensburg University in
1972 and was a graduate of
the Command and General
Staff College m 1966 and the
Army War College in 1972.
COL Woodall began his military service in 1947 and
was discharged in 1949 to accept an ROTC contract.
Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1950, he was
assigned to the 41st Armored Infantry Battalion,
2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas. Through
the next few years of his military career, he served as
Platoon Leader in Germany, Company Commander in
the 512th Armored Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored
Division at Fort Hood and resigned from the Regular
Army in 1955 and went into the lumber business in
Belton, Texas.
In 1960, he was reinstated as a regular officer and
assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Benning,
Georgia. In 1962, COL Woodall was assigned to the
1st Battle Group, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division
stationed on the DMZ in Korea until August 1963
when he returned to Fort Hood. In 1966, he reported
to the U.S. Army Strategy and Tactics Analysis Group
in Bethesda, Maryland where he was a military
analyst. He was then assigned to Vietnam, first as an
Executive Officer, and then as Battalion Commander
until his return to Fort Hood in 1969 and also in
Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania in 1972. He was the
Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Postal Group
before being assigned as the Commandant of the
Corps of Cadets and Professor of Military Science at
Texas A &M. COL Woodall retired from active duty
in 1982.
He served 28 years in the Regular Army and two
and four years in the Naval and Army Reserves,
respectfully. He has served overseas in Germany,
Korea and Vietnam. Colonel Woodall's military
awards include the Silver Star, two Legions of
Merit, three Bronze Stars, three Meritorious Service
Medals, eight Air Medals, three Commendation
Medals and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses.
He has served as a Class Agent and President of
the Brazos County A &M Club. He is responsible for
securing four of the seven Medals of Honor awarded
to Aggies in World War II for display in the Sanders
Corps Center. His book Texas Aggie Medals of Honor
details the search for the medals and the story
behind each. Colonel Woodall is an active member
of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association.
WWW.CORPSOFCADETS.ORG the Guidon 1 5