Memorial Day Guest Speaker

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Pampa VFW Post 1657 will be hosting a special event for Memorial Day. The event will be honoring those who lost their lives while defending the country.

On May 29th, guest speaker Colonel Michael J. Foote will be giving a speech in VFW Post 1657 on 105 S. Cuyler St. from 7:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. If planning to attend, please bring your own chairs.

Foote was commissioned into the Field Artillery through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Oklahoma in 1999. His first assignment was the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, NC. Following completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course, Col. Foote returned to the 5th Group following completion of IL at the Naval Postgraduate School where he commanded two companies,  andserved as a Battalion Executive Officer, and the Group Operations Officer. His most recent assignments include Garrison Commander of USAG For Greely, Alaska, and the Special Forces Branch Chief at Human Resources Command.

His Deployments include Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia among others. His most recent was to Turkey and Jordan in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE.

His decorations include the Bronze Sar Medal with V device, the Bronze Star Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. He has earned the Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, and Pathfinder Badge.

Foote was a 1994 graduate of Pampa High School. He participated in football, wrestling, and student council for all four years of his high school career. Foote earned his Eagle Scout in Boy Scout Troop 414 and was active in the First United Methodist Church youth group and the local Optimist League sports. Foote was inducted into the Harvester Hall of Fame in 2021.

For more information about the Memorial Day event, contact Pat Montoya at (806) 663-1795.