Livingston, Polk County
Born in Houston and raised in Livingston, James Parker attended Lon Morris Junior College and Texas A&M University. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, with his first assignment to fly anti-submarine patrols along the Pacific coast. As the U.S. entered WWII, Parker volunteered for the Doolittle Raid, the secret mission which was the first attack on the Japanese mainland. In April 1942, aboard Whirling Dervish with Crew #9, co-pilot Parker and the B-25 crew successfully completed their bombing mission on Japan. Low on gas, the crew bailed out and were taken into Chinese custody. Lt. Parker returned to the U.S. and, after recovering from malaria, returned to duty and served in the U.S., Africa and Europe, retiring in 1947 with numerous decorations. (2019)