2018 NJ State PBA
Main Convention
NEVER OUT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43
Bosnia, for which his training consisted of learning how to wear
a leather jacket and smoke a cigarette. And how to conduct war-
fare on skis.
He concluded this portion of the program by sharing how he
was in a SEAL platoon with many of his brothers who were part
of Operation Redwing. That was the mission that Navy SEAL
Marcus Luttrell was on in Afghanistan and recounted in the
book and movie “Lone Survivor.” He knew most of the men on
the helicopter that was shot down trying to rescue Marcus.
“If I didn’t go to officer candidate school, I would have been
on the back of that bird,” Parma explained.
Only after replaying these experiences was Parma ready to
articulate why the stories were so important. He wanted to get
into the subject of post-traumatic stress, sharing his perspec-
tive that all warriors charged with security face it, that it’s not a
disorder, that it’s nothing to be ashamed of and that it must be
addressed head-on.
Parma faced a traumatic blast in 2005 that caused an embo-
lism in his brain and left him lucky to be alive. He has endured
two spine surgeries and runs triathlons against doctor’s orders.
But he has developed a successful approach to take on the
post-traumatic stress.
“We prepare for the stress and we live in it, but it’s not a
healthy place to be,” he said. “If you dig a hole, health problems
will persist. It’s manageable. You have to stay physically fit. You
have to eat right and sleep right. Sometimes you need a mentor.
It’s natural. It’s human. But it’s a fight, and you’re never going to
give up that fight.”
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ OCTOBER 2018
He had many more learning events to share and would have
had the sound of stomachs grumbling not gained more deci-
bels. Parma, who earned an MBA while in the Navy and went
on to graduate from Harvard Business School’s Professional
Leadership Development program, did relate some common
denominators between his details and law enforcement tours.
He told attendees how they are members of elite teams that
thrive on these characteristics:
• Team cooperation
• Constructive and open communication
• Making time for humor
• Staying in the comfort zone
• Humility
He mentioned that law enforcement officers and SEALS share
an ethos:
“Integrity, honor, courage, commitment, perseverance and
the feeling that I will not fail,” he asserted. “And remembering
you are part of something bigger than you.”
He implored members to maintain their standards because
the standards lead to high results. Parma went back to the im-
age of the PBA shield, encouraging members to never look away
from the shield because it will remind officers of an outlook that
will get them through the fight today, tomorrow, next week and
the rest of their careers.
Parma accentuated this message with the words he included
at the bottom of the paddle:
“The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday.”