Decorated Elmhurst Soldier is Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal

The Grand Marshal for Elmhurst’s 95th Memorial Day Parade is U.S. Army Lt. Col. Peter W. Farrell, an Airborne Ranger who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and Battalion Commander of the Chicago ROTC program at University of Illinois-Chicago.

Lt. Col. Farrell, an Elmhurst resident, has served as an infantry officer with the 82nd Airborne, Army Rangers, 25th Infantry Division, Special Assignments Officer and the Old Guard.

Commissioned in 1995, Lt. Col. Farrell has also served as a platoon leader, company executive officer, ranger instructor, long range surveillance instructor, company commander, battalion operations officer and battalion executive officer.

Lt. Col. Farrell is a graduate of Southern Illinois University and holds masters degrees from Webster University of St. Louis and the Command and General Staff College at the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC) in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.

His military education includes infantry basic training, basic officers leaders course, infantry officers advanced course, airborne school, assault air school, ranger school, long range surveillance leaders course, information operations leaders course, combatives instructor and joint firepower course.

Headquartered at UIC, the Fire Battalion is the Army ROTC program for Chicago. The Army ROTC Program includes training in leadership, tactics, national security and effective communication.

Lt. Col. Farrell also assists in coaching the Elmhurst Lacrosse under 15 team.

The Elmhurst Memorial Day Parade steps off at 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 27, at York Road and Second Street.