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S-Set. Robert H. Parks, who has just arrived in Abilene to make his home, can lay claim to being one of Uncle Sam’s busiest nephews in the eight years which he has spent in the Air Force. The airman, who this week be came public information non-com missioned officer for the Abilene Army and Air Force Recruiting and Induction Main Station, has: 1. Been shot down in the Paci fic Ocean during World War II while serving as a tail gunner on a B-26. COMBAT VETERAN 29 Flown in combat for 15 months in the Pacific Theater dur ing that same war. 3. Served with a bomb loading crew of a B-29 bomber outfit which participated in the bomb ing of Korea in the current mili tary action of the United States. 4. Been stationed in England in the summer and fall of 1951 with the 12th Fighter Escort Wing of the Strategic Air Command as a draftsman. If he should find recruiting dull, who can blame him? Sergeant Parks took over the public information duties here formerly performed by T-Sgt. Er nest E. Runyan, who was ordered to the Far East Air Force as a re placement. The Parks family—consisting of the sergeant and his wife—is re siding at 1202% Highland Ave. Parks spent from July through November of this year on his tem porary-duty assignment as a Strategic Air Command draftsman in England. His duties there—tath er than what he had been accus teamed to—consisted of making up chartings on personnel as to their combat readiness. The sojourn in England was a part of the SAC’s program of shifting its training personnel throughout the world to jive under various types of weath er. “The English people are very courteous and hospitable,” Parks said. ‘‘They are good sports. They are daring automobile drivers, traveling at great speeds without fear. ‘Men, women and children— from the age of 4 years to 90— ride bicycles.” The U. S. airman found England to be a historic land, fascinating by its traditions’ but devoid of the competitive enterprise in business, London, where he visited very of ten, was “beautiful.” Parks was stationed at a Royal Air Force base at Margate, 70 miles southeast of London. The Festival of Britain, with its pag eants, exhibitions and other amuse ments, provided the young Amer ican with experiences which he con siders invaluable. But his World War II experiences were a great deal more exciting, if not quite so enjoyable. After entering the service in May, 1941, he had 15 months of combat duty as a tail gunner on a B-26 in the South Pacific—Guadalcanal, Bou gainville and the New Georgia Is lands. One moonlight night, while his plane was on a bombing raid, it sank a Japanese ship but in the fight the ship also sank the plane. The five-man plane crew drifted on a life raft to a Japanese-held island, disembarked and hid there until a U. S. Navy PBY sea plane picked them up three days after the incident. None of the plane crew was injured except Parks. He describes his injury as minor, caused when he was hit by flak. Parks returned to the U.S. in 1943 and was discharged in 1945. Then followed one year of study in the University of Texas. Still later Parks was employed on the advertising staff of the Houston Chronicle, subsequently serving as radio account executive for Radio Station KLEE, Houston. Along with his advertising activi ties, he was a private detective. He re-enlisted in the Air Force in April, 1948, and has been in ever since. Parks was in AF service in Flor ida from 1948 to 1950. In July, 1950, he went to Japan with a B-29 bomber outfit which took part in the bombing of Korea. He was in a bomb loading crew, operating on Okinawa. His return again to the U. S. occurred in November, 1950. He went to Barksdale AF Base, Shreveport, La., and stayed until his England assignment mater ialized in July, 1951. SSGT. ROBERT H. PARKS
Newspaper Details
Abilene Reporter News
Abilene, Texas, US
Fri, Dec 07, 1951
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Dana G.
USA 08 Jun 2026
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