SOUTHPORT, NC, September 28, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Col. A. Truman Parmele has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Col. Parmele is a retired Air Force and Air Force Reserve officer with a career spanning military intelligence and defense systems architecture. His most recent professional milestone was his eight-year tenure as the second vice president and outreach director for the MOAA Grand Strand Chapter, concluding in May 2026. During this period, he dedicated himself to direct community engagement, focusing on supporting veterans, particularly those experiencing homelessness.

As part of this outreach, Col. Parmele established partnerships with local technical schools and chambers of commerce to create employment pathways for veterans throughout South Carolina. providing over 30 veteran scholarships to Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC). Additionally, these scholarships provided 19 veterans employment that assisted their transition to an enhanced quality of life. These positions were tailored to the individual veteran's work experiences, goals, and desires.

Col. Parmele championed alternative treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder, organizing model building classes, fly fishing activities and a six-week golf course pairing veterans with local golf professionals. These initiatives culminated in nine-hole tournaments and provided participants with meaningful engagement, helping alleviate emotional distress. He further facilitated access to scholarships and Pell Grants for tuition assistance and played a key role in helping veterans transition from homelessness to stable housing.

A hallmark of Col. Parmele's outreach work was his organization of stand-downs — events providing essential clothing and supplies to veterans in need. Over seven years, he coordinated an average of four such events annually, serving more than 2,000 individuals. His commitment to face-to-face interactions proved transformative for many, reinforcing the importance of personal connection in veteran support. Although offered the role of president within the chapter, Col. Parmele declined, believing his true calling lay in outreach. His decade-long involvement with MOAA reflects a deep commitment to the organization's motto, "Continue to serve," and he remains a lifetime member.

Prior to his work with MOAA, Col. Parmele served nearly 30 years in the United States Air Force and Air Force Reserve, including more than 12 years on active duty. Rising from captain on active duty to colonel in the Reserve, he held leadership roles as an administrative officer, personnel officer and military intelligence officer. His distinguished service included two tours in Vietnam and direct support of Operation Desert Storm through mission-critical intelligence and systems initiatives.

Many details of Col. Parmele's contributions remain classified due to their sensitive nature. After being passed over for promotion to major in 1979, he transitioned from active duty but viewed this as a pivotal moment that broadened his technical expertise and opened new career paths.

Col. Parmele completed Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces during his military career. These programs equipped him with extensive knowledge in defense acquisition, industrial systems and enterprise architecture. He played a leading role in developing the Department of Defense Architecture Framework, whose principles were adopted by more than 35 countries worldwide.

Following active military service, Col. Parmele entered government contracting with a focus on project management, budget management, systems integration and information management. One early assignment placed him at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility immediately after the 1979 accident, where he helped implement a large-scale microfiche-based records retrieval system that preserved approximately 40 million records for regulatory compliance. He later supported General Electric's worldwide communications network during the early stages of global enterprise networking before advancing to executive leadership at a private technology company.

Returning to federal service as a civilian, Col. Parmele spent about eight years with the Defense Intelligence Agency leading infrastructure planning, systems integration and interoperability initiatives across military services. Concurrently serving as a Reserve officer assigned to the National Defense University and National War College, he worked in modeling and simulation while expanding expertise in systems analysis and geopolitical planning. He subsequently joined the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Department of Defense Systems Integration Architect, directing enterprise architecture programs that supported approximately 200 military organizations globally.

After retiring from government service, Col. Parmele applied his defense architecture expertise in the private sector with a software development company focused on Department of Defense clients. Demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit, he later purchased and operated a restaurant and live music venue that combined hospitality with his passion for music. Under his leadership, the venue hosted live performances five nights each week and achieved national recognition as one of the top 10 computer-equipped music venues in the United States in 2018.

Col. Parmele's educational background includes a Master of Business Administration in finance from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The academic foundation provided by these degrees supported his success across diverse fields including military leadership, federal service and entrepreneurship.

Reflecting on his career, Col. Parmele credits his father as his greatest influence, whose emphasis on accountability shaped his academic journey and professional ethos. He notes that his achievements were hard-earned rather than a product of privilege, having worked a variety of jobs throughout high school and college — including in a department store, a knitting mill, a cannery and tobacco fields — experiences that instilled the work ethic he carried into his career. Col. Parmele believes hard work is the key to achieving one's goals, and takes pride in the life he has built for himself.

Among numerous honors received over his career are selection as one of five change makers out of 400,000 candidates by MOAA in 2025 — an achievement that stands as one of his proudest moments — as well as receipt of the Legion of Merit, Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medals, Air Force Commendation Medals and Presidential Unit Citations.

Born in Garland, Col. Parmele is married and is father to two children. His enduring commitment to service is reflected not only through decades spent advancing national security but also through transformative community outreach benefiting veterans across South Carolina and beyond.

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