JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Today the Mountain Area Ford Dealers announced that four local area Veterans will be honored at the Ballad Health Athletic Center on September 20th at the Ford Oval of Honor recognition. Though this is the 62nd Ford Oval of Honor event held since 9/11 of 2011, this is the first occasion to conduct this event at East Tennessee State University.
This will be the first Ford Oval of Honor event to also include a Purple Heart presentation for Master Sergeant Marc Manilla, from wounds he received in Baghdad, Iraq while conducting combat operations.
Ed Johnson, Chairman of the Mountain Area Ford Dealers Association and dealer principal at Johnson City Ford said, "With the very rich historical military tradition dating back to the Revolutionary War when the Overmountain Men of Northeast Tennessee emerged as a formidable force of patriot militia at the Battle of King's Mountain in October of 1780, this area has continued to develop outstanding military leaders. Since 1953 when ETSU began its ROTC program, 18 Generals have come from the ETSU ROTC program with more than 1600 cadets having been commissioned through the program. A total of 18 Generals and Flag Officers received their education at ETSU. Along with the thousands of Veterans who call this area home, the Mountain Area Ford Dealers, partnering with East Tennessee State University, are pleased to support this Ford Oval of Honor recognition honoring these honorees from the Tri Cities area."
Honorees to be recognized at the 1:30pm program include Lt. General Ronald V. Hite - Army (Ret.) – having served in Vietnam, South Korea, Germany and the United States, Colonel Dan Bishop - US Army(Ret.) having served in Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Afghanistan and Europe, Lieutenant Colonel Scott Jeffress -US Army (Ret.) who served in Somalia, Macedonia and Iraq, and Sergeant Edwin D. (Doug) Taylor -US Army who served in Vietnam.
At this special Ford Oval of Honor ceremony each recipient will receive a Ford Oval of Honor cherry shadowbox as part of their recognition.
In addition to the Ford Oval of Honor recipients, Master Sergeant Marc Manilla, currently assigned as the Senior Military Science Instructor for the ETSU Army ROTC program, will receive his Purple Heart. Master Sergeant Manilla is an Infantryman who since his enlistment in 2003, has served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, Republic of Korea, and Lithuania under NATO Operations.
This will be the 62nd Ford Oval of Honor recognition event conducted regionally since the first one held on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 in 2011 in Cincinnati. Honoree recipients now total more than 400 veterans. Included are a Doolittle Raider, a Defender of Pearl Harbor, six D-Day Invaders of Normandy, four Tuskegee Airmen, eight "Hanoi Hilton" Vietnam POWs, two honorees for whom ships have been named, and now nine honorees who have already received our nation's highest recognition…the Congressional Medal of Honor.
The Ford Oval of Honor Mission Statement is:
"Recognizing Veterans…common individuals who walk and live among us who have demonstrated an "uncommon" commitment to defend the cause of freedom in service to our country."
Information on the Honorees:
LTG(R) Ron Hite – ETSU Army ROTC class of 1974
A native of Washington County, General Ronald Hite is a member of the East Tennessee State University Class of 1964 and was commissioned that year as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. His outstanding performance as an ROTC Cadet also earned him recognition as a Distinguished Military Graduate. In 1974, he earned a master's degree in management science from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Following attendance at the Infantry Officers Basic Course, Airborne and Ranger Schools, General Hite served our nation for 33 distinguished years, commanding at virtually every level and holding many unique positions during assignments throughout the United States and oversees. Among his many accomplishments, he was selected to be the first commander of the Army's Combat Systems Test Activity in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; he was also responsible for the development of the Army's High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and several major weapons systems. In his last assignment, he served as the Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research, Development, and Acquisition, providing testimony before the House and Senate Defense Committees and directing the Army's Acquisition Corps.
Currently, General Hite is the president and CEO of Cypress International, an Alexandria, Va.-based company which assists clients in planning, business development, and marketing of defense and aerospace products and services worldwide. He also remains an extremely active supporter of ETSU and serves in many capacities, positively impacting current students and alumni alike through his efforts.
COL(R) Dan Bishop – UC Santa Barbara ROTC class of 1996, former ETSU ROTC PMS
Colonel Dan Bishop graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1996 as a distinguished military graduate, receiving his commission as an Armor officer.
After completing his Basic Officer Course at Fort Knox, KY, his first assignment was to the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment in Friedberg, Germany, where he served as a Tank Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer. During this assignment, COL Bishop met his wife Kristen who was also serving in Germany, assigned as a Quartermaster Officer.
COL Bishop transitioned to the Military Intelligence Corps, attending the Intelligence Transition, Advanced, as well as Counterintelligence courses. COL Bishop spent his Captain years assigned to Fort Hood, Texas with the 1st Cavalry Division where he served in a variety of positions to include Division Intelligence Collection Manager, Senior Intelligence Officer for 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and Assistant Operations Officer for the 312th Military Intelligence Battalion. COL Bishop deployed as the 312th's Headquarters Company Commander to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II from 2004-2005.
Following OIF II, COL Bishop attended graduate school at Columbia University as part of the Eisenhower Leadership Development Program, earning a Master's Degree in Organizational Psychology with a follow-on assignment as a student at the Command and General Staff College.
Reassigned in 2007 to Fort Bragg, NC, he served with the Joint Special Operations Command initially as an Intelligence Planner, later serving as J2 Chief of Future Operations, and finally as the J2X, responsible for Human Intelligence, Counterintelligence, and Detention operations. COL Bishop deployed to Iraq multiple times with a Joint Special Operations Task Force.
From 2012 to 2014, COL Bishop served with the Buccaneer Battalion as the Professor of Military Science at East Tennessee State University. He followed his tour at ETSU with an assignment as Commander, 308th Military Intelligence Battalion. After which, COL Bishop deployed to Afghanistan in July 2016 serving with the NATO Special Operations Component Command - Afghanistan.
In 2017, COL Bishop served as a U.S. Army War College Fellow at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. In 2018, COL Bishop was assigned to the Pentagon, Sensitive and Special Operations Division in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
COL Bishop's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Badge as well as both U.S. and Dutch Parachutist Badges. In 2014, he was inducted into the ETSU College of Business and Technology Hall of Fame.
COL Bishop and his wife are blessed with two children, Ethan and McKenna.
LTC(R) Scott Jeffress – Dartmouth University ROTC class of 1990, former ETSU ROTC PMS
Lieutenant Colonel Scott Jeffress graduated from Dartmouth College in 1990 with a degree in History and was commissioned through the Army ROTC program as a Signal Corps (Communications) officer. He is also a graduate of both the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and the School for Advanced Military Studies, earning two master's degrees in Military Arts and Sciences.
During a 22-year career, he served in numerous command and staff roles throughout the United States (including Alaska) and overseas in South Korea and Germany; he also spent six months in Macedonia with the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP).
In two assignments with the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), he deployed to Somalia in 1993 as part of Operation Restore Hope; and to Baghdad, Iraq in 2006-2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Immediately upon his return from Iraq, in November 2007 he and his family moved to Johnson City, TN, where he served as ETSU's Professor of Military Science until June 2012.
Since retiring from the Army on October 1 of that year, he has been the director of ETSU's Roan Scholars Leadership Program. He also volunteers with numerous organizations and serves on the boards of several local non-profits. Lieutenant Colonel Jeffress and his wife, Barbara, live in Johnson City and have three children: Hannah, Colin, and Julia.
SGT Doug Taylor, U.S. Army Infantryman, Vietnam Veteran
Graduated from basic training as "Outstanding Trainee of the Cycle" (from 1100 trainees), the recipient of the American Spirit Honor Medal and the Commanding General's Award. I was immediately reassigned to Ft. Polk, LA (Tiger Land) for leadership training and AIT. In AIT, I again was selected to serve as trainee platoon leader and upon completion of training there, I was offered the opportunity to attend NCO school at Ft. Benning, Ga, graduating as Sgt E-5.
Assigned to my infantry unit in the 23d Infantry, better known as the Americal Division, with HQ in Chu Lai. After two weeks of Jungle School at Chu Lai, I was assigned to Company B/3/1, 11th Bde at Duc Pho. I joined my unit in the field working primarily off Fire Base 4-11 and Bronco. I earned my CIB on my very first day in the bush. I served intermittently as a squad leader, platoon Sgt, and once as platoon leader due to the untimely demise of our Lt. We mostly worked AO's in the area between the South China Sea and the central highlands
Doug Taylor serves as Special Assistant to the Dean, The ETSU Quillen College of Medicine.
