Laverne Parrish Field: Championship team honors war hero

Members of the 1974 Ronan Chiefs – who won the Class A State Football Championship – will be on hand for the home football game against Browning on Sept. 29 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Sgt. Laverne Parrish Memorial Field.

Parrish, a 1937 graduate of Ronan High School, was killed in action in the Philippines during World War II, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman in July 1945. The school's original athletic field was dedicated to him in the fall of 1948.

The field was relocated in 1969 to make room for the new high school building, and has been improved several times since, making it the pride of Chief fans.

Before Friday’s kickoff, members of the 1974 Chiefs will dedicate two large commemorative stones, which were placed earlier this month at the stadium’s entry plaza, and the plaques, which commemorate both Sgt. Parrish and the 1974 champions.

The VFW and American Legion Honor Guard will present the colors, and a representative from Sen. Jon Tester’s office will present the official Congressional Record Citation for Parrish, which was filed Sept. 18, and will be stored in the Library of Congress.

During the game, the Chiefs will wear stickers on their helmets reading “Sgt. Laverne Parrish, Medal of Honor 1945.”

According to Pat Meagher, statistician for the ’74 team who now lives in Columbia Falls and Galveston, Texas, this undertaking is a few years in the making. Parrish was inducted into the initial Ronan Hall of Fame in 2021, and the 1974 Chiefs were inducted a year later.

“During that ceremony, we began discussing a team project that would give back to the school and community,” says Meagher.

He said most team members knew little about Sgt. Parrish’s heroism, and weren’t aware the field where they once played had been dedicated to him in 1948.

“We came up with this project to honor Laverne Parrish, bring his story back to life, and thank our schools and community for the incredible support they gave us as young people,” says Meagher. “Our goal was to not make this a monument for an old guy done by a bunch of old guys but make something the students and community might enjoy.”

On Monday, Meagher and Roger Jore, who was backup quarterback and free safety for the championship team, were putting finishing touches on the memorial. They said the project generated support from team members – many of whom helped with the installation – as well as the business community, including Montana Rock, Cross Diamond Crane, 406 Stonecrete and Integrity Welding/Design and Powder Coating of Kalispell.

Jore, pointing to the plaque that recounts Parrish’s heroism, noted that “people don't even know who he was or that Laverne Parrish graduated from Ronan.”

“The objective, in large part, is to make sure that his legacy isn't forgotten,” Meagher added. “That's the whole thing.”

The heroic army medic

An article that appeared in the 1976 edition of the Montana Legionaire recounted the army medic’s heroic efforts to save soldiers on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. He was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division, nicknamed “Tropic Lightening.”

First, on Jan. 18, 1945, he braved enemy fire to rescue two wounded soldiers from an openly exposed position. “Running, walking, crawling, evading the Japanese fire now directed at him, the young medic made his way to the two wounded men,” administered first aid, and then drug each of them back to safety.

According to the Legionaire account, in the early hours of Jan. 24, “Charlie Company encountered heavy enemy crossfire in attempting to attack across open terrain. Finding it impossible to advance, the company fell back to the shelter of a ditch; but Parrish had already caught sight to two wounded men out beyond the ditch in full view of the enemy.

“Instantly, the heroic aid man left his sheltered position and started working his way across the field. He managed to bring both men in, but on his second trip he realized that there were more wounded lying in that open field than originally thought. He went right back, twisting, squirming, snaking from one casualty to another until he had treated 12 men. Three of the more seriously wounded he carried back with him to the ditch …

“Then he proceeded to tend to some 37 other wounded in the ditch. He was an angel of mercy. He was charmed, according to some of those who had witnessed his recent exploits. Parrish never stopped working that day. He moved among the men, caring for them, boosting their morale, soothing their worried minds.

“Suddenly, a Japanese mortar shell landed in the midst of the wounded. When the smoke had cleared the tragedy of what had really happened was apparent. T-4 Laverne Parrish had been mortally wounded. Despite aid, he died within a few minutes.”

Parrish was among 473 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II – the nation’s highest citation for military valor – and one of only five Montanans.

He was 26 when he died and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Ronan.