Former Marine One crewman advocates for fellow veterans

Furman University recently highlighted Brandon Parks M’25, a Marine Corps veteran, a first-generation college graduate, one of four children and part of the first cohort to earn degrees in Furman University’s Advocacy and Social Policy master’s program.

Brandon served as a crew chief in aviation, quickly rising through the ranks to become a quality assurance inspector and, eventually, a member of the elite HMX-1 Presidential Helicopter Squadron. From 2009 to 2014, Parks traveled the globe alongside President Barack Obama, maintaining and clearing aircraft for presidential transport.