Past Grand Marshals

Meet the Co-Grand Marshals for the 2012 Nevada Day Parade
representing Nevada Military Past, Present & Future:

Staff Sergeant, Edward Cosens, US Army Air Corps (Past)
Sergeant 1st Class (SFC) Jeremiah Mock (Present)
E-2 Sea Cadet, Alexis McKenzie (Future)

Grand Marshal, Representing Nevada's Military Past:
Staff Sergeant, Edward Cosens, US Army Air Corps (World War II)

Staff Sergeant Edward Cosens served this country with honor as a left scanner in a B29 bomber for the U.S. Army Air Corps. He and 10 crew members flew 17 missions from Guam to Japan in World War II, enduring 18-hour flights in the dark of night in what he later found out was an "experimental aircraft."

During one of his missions, his aircraft took some flak and was forced to land in Iwo Jima. Ed and his crew flew in various B29 bombers, including "Sentimental Journey" and "Box Car", which was later used to drop the atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

Ed, a native of Bozeman, MT, had a lifelong dream of becoming a pilot. He began his military career at age 18, after graduating from the Curtis Wright Institute of Aeronautics in Pasadena, CA. Retired Staff Sergeant Cosens is a proud Nevada resident for the last 10 years.

Grand Marshal, Representing Nevada's Military Present:
Sergeant 1st Class (SFC) Jeremiah Mock

SFC Jeremiah Mock is a veteran of combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the storied 173d Airborne Brigade. SFC Mock served as an artillery forward observer using his skills to direct artillery, mortars, and close air support during the invasion into northern Iraq (2003-2004) and counter insurgency operations in eastern and southern Afghanistan (2005-2006). He spent nine years of active duty service in the Army before joining the Nevada Army National Guard in October 2007, where he helped train guard members on what to expect when going into combat zones.

Three years later, SFC Mock returned to Afghanistan on a mission to spread agricultural knowledge in the war-torn country. Beginning Sept. 1, 2011, SFC Mock was preparing for his new role - managing training programs for Joint Forces Headquarters (Nevada Army National Guard) - when five days later his life was changed forever after he was wounded during the shooting rampage inside the Carson City IHOP. Although SFC Mock was still recovering from the gunshot which shattered his arm in 11 places, he returned to work January 3, 2012.

Despite his injuries, he said he never considered not re-enlisting in the National Guard. On January 27, 2012, Nevada Governor, Brian Sandoval presided over the re-enlistment ceremony for SFC Jeremiah Mock on the Capitol steps. SFC Mock had been planning on extending his service with the Nevada National Guard long before that tragic day. "What happened in September shouldn't define who you are, or what you do everyday," Mock says. "The path that you choose to head down is what really defines you."

A proud family man, Jeremiah and his wife Stephanie (who enlisted in the Nevada Air National Guard after her husband's shooting), live in Reno with their two children.

Grand Marshal, Representing Nevada's Military Future:
E-2 Sea Cadet, Alexis McKenzie

Alexis McKenzie is 12 years old and in the 7th grade. Her current rank is E-2 (Able Cadet) in the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, where she received the Citation Ribbon and is an outstanding Sea Cadet.

The Sea Cadets is an after school program for American youth, ages 11-17. Students get to wear an enlisted Navy uniform and learn about everything the Navy has to offer. Cadets are taught valuable life skills including core values like patriotism, self-esteem, accountability, responsibility, and goal setting. According to Sea Cadets Lieutenant Commander Robert Bledsaw, 14-20 percent of all new midshipmen to the U.S. Naval Academy began as Sea Cadets.

Alexis is proud to wear the U.S. Navy uniform. Her goal is to attend college and join the military as an officer and possibly be a military veterinarian. Her hobbies are running cross country at school and participating in choir.

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