Where Are They Now? — Ann (Clark) and Mike Parsons

Mike and I married in March of 1989. Ten months and one day later our son Michael joined the family. We lived in Orem and Mike worked for Novell. Nine and 1/2 months later we found out we were expecting our second child. This was during Desert Storm. Mike was going crazy watching the war happening and not being involved. One day he came home and announced to me that he had joined the Untied States Air force and would be leaving for basic training in a few months. Shortly after that our daughter Brooke was born. Mike went off to Lackland Air Force base in Texas for basic training. When he returned, we packed up our family and moved to his new station, Fairchild Air force Base in Washington.

While in Washington, Mike got involved in his first volunteer fire department. He loved the adrenaline rush that came from going into burning buildings and decided that is what he wanted to make his career. While he worked for the Air Force doing supply, he joined two more volunteer fire departments in the area and got as much training as possible. During this time our daughter Amanda was born. When Mike could not get any more training with the fire department without leaving the state we decided to go from full time Air force to the Air Force Reserves and move back to Utah.

After returning to Utah Mike became part of the 419th reserve unit at Hill Air Force Base. He worked at Geneva Steel fire department and went to school. During this time our daughter Brittney was born. In 1996 Mike was hired by Orem city fire department and we moved to Orem. Mike was still doing his one weekend a month and two weeks a year for the reserves. Orem city decided to become a public safety department and sent their fire fighters to the police academy and police officers to the fire academy, and both to paramedic school. After Mike attended POST and paramedic school he switched from the fire department to the police department. Shortly after that came the attack on the twin towers and Mike's reserve unit was activated for a year possibly two and he was off. He spent a few months in South Carolina and the rest of the time in Saudi Arabia. Thankfully he was only gone one year.

Mike returned to work for Orem as a police officer. About a year later we sold our home in Orem and moved to Cedar Hills. During this time Mike was activated again to United Arab Emirates as the Fire Chief. He was there about 5 months. A few months later Mike got a job offer with Tooele Army Depot. Being excited to return to the fire department Mike took a ten year retirement with Orem city and started a new job in Tooele. We moved from Cedar Hills to Grantsville. A little over a year of being in Grantsville Mike was activated again to be the Fire Chief in Iraq. He spent 5 months there and just returned home in January. Along with his civilian job at the depot, he is now the Fire Chief for the 419th reserve unit at Hill Air Force base and will be able to retire in about three years from the military. He also teaches for the Utah Fire Rescue Academy and runs as a paramedic with the ambulance in Tooele County.

Our son Michael is 18 and will graduate this month from Grantsville high school. Brooke is 16 going on 30 and can't wait to grow up. Amanda is 14 and Brittney is 12. After all these years of raising kids I have started a little business out of my home. It keeps me entertained during the day while the kids are at school. So Mike and I can see each other once in a while, we started working as fire rescue at the Miller motor sports park in Grantsville. It has been fun to learn more about Mike’s career and to spend the day with him watching races. It is amazing how fast the last twenty years have gone by. It will be fun to see everyone again in June.