> Home > About Us > News/Events

June 24, 2008

HRMC event honors military forces

Haywood Regional Medical Center’s Auxiliary will host the annual “Proud to be an American” memorial services at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 13 at the main hospital entrance.

Brigadier General William T. Meredith, U.S. Air Force retired, will be the speaker for the service. Meredith’s military career spanned more than three decades. Moving through the ranks from private to brigadier general, Meredith was instrumental in establishing programs for the Air Force that were so important and fundamentally valuable that, even though he retired from active service in 1973, they still provide combat engineering support worldwide for the USAF.

Known as Prime Beef and Red Horse (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineering), these concepts provided comprehensive and heavy construction equipment support to the Air Force in combat theaters and were a vital part in America’s operations in Viet Nam, during Desert Storm, in Afghanistan and again in Iraq.

In 1973, he returned as a civilian to Saudi Arabia for two years with the Tumpane Construction Company. Then, joining the prestigious firm of Parsons Brinckerhoff, he managed a major project linking the Reading and Pennsylvania Railroads into a commuter rail system under the city of Philadelphia. Later, as president of a new Parsons Brinckerhoff subsidiary, he oversaw the building of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Meredith was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Gathering of Eagles last year. He and a close friend, Truman O’Keefe, started the Meredith/O’Keefe Management and Construction Control System and have taught their system all across the country.

Prior to the “Proud to be an American” service, anyone can add the name or names of a family member or acquaintance to a display in the HRMC lobby for a donation of $5 per name.

The public is invited to the service. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.