amar Crosby has been a leader in Effingham County for years. He also enjoys seeing people come together for community events, particularly a patriotic one like the City of Rincon’s annual Independence Day parade.

He will combine the two June 30, as he leads the Freedom Rings in Rincon Parade as grand marshal.

"It is truly an honor to be recognized this way. It’s an honor that I’m not sure I fully deserve, but I appreciate the committee deciding to recognize me in this way," Crosby said.

Upon retiring from the U.S. Army as a colonel in 1994, Crosby and his wife Shannon settled in Rincon, not far from his final assignment at Hunter Army Airfield. He didn’t stay retired long, though, accepting the position as Effingham County administrator in January 1995 and serving that role for six years.

"I spent my life in service to my country and my community," Crosby said. "When I retired, I made a conscious decision that I would continue in some kind of profession that was public service."

Crosby also served in city government, as a Rincon city councilman from 2004-07. He is an active member and past president of the Effingham Rotary Club and he has served on several local boards, including the Savannah Technical College Board of Directors, the Effingham County YMCA board and the Georgia-Pacific Citizens Advisory Panel.

However, he says his most rewarding community endeavor came when Ruth Lee approached him to help lead an effort for a park honoring the men and women of Effingham County who served in the military during the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Gulf wars. Since his 27 years in the Army included being an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam and working in the Secretary of Defense’s office in the Pentagon during the Gulf War, Crosby jumped at the opportunity.

"I just believe that it’s important to give back to your community when our nation, our community have given so much to us," Crosby said. "I think this is a wonderful community. I love being a part of it, and look forward to many more years being a part of it."

The volunteers began working on the Veterans Park of Effingham County in 2001, and it was completed in 2003 — thanks to a "phenomenal" amount of community support, Crosby said. The park at Highway 21 and First Street in Springfield is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year free of charge.

"It’s just an absolutely special place and I am very happy to have been a part of it since its inception," said Crosby, the vice-chair of the Effingham Veterans Park Association board of directors. "It’s one of those things that you had a vision of what you were going to do, but, when you finished, it was more than the vision was."

The parade will be the second part of the City of Rincon’s two-day July 4th celebration, following the Freedom Rings festival June 29 from 5-10 p.m. in the Lowe’s parking lot.

Crosby’s wife will join him in the parade, and he plans to have one other family member in the grand marshal’s car. His 5-and-a-half year-old grandson Mac will be in town visiting, and Crosby hopes the youngster will join his grandparents in waving to the crowd.

"I look forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces," he said.