Frank Parkinson

Frank Parkinson was born on February 6, 1923, and is a native of Wichita Falls, Texas. Frank attended Wichita Falls ISD and graduated from Wichita Falls High School, now known as "Old High." Shortly after graduation from high school, Frank married his high school sweetheart, Johnnie Wellington of Burkburnett, Texas.

Frank enlisted in the Army Air Corps shortly after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. After training at Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells, Frank left his new bride behind in Texas and headed for battle in the European theater. An expert Aerial Gunner, Radio Mechanic and Gunner Operator, Frank flew thirty combat missions, including two missions on June 6, 1944, as part of the D Day Invasion. Frank eventually retrained into a radar career field and he would use radar to jam German signals providing a safe path for aircraft to travel. Frank remembers it was a "...terrible situation. We were blessed, but a lot weren't."

After the war ended Frank returned to his beloved Johnnie and to Wichita Falls where they have made their home all of these years. Frank says "The main thing is to honor those who didn't come back. A bunch of our buddies and friends didn't come back."

Steve Briley & Harold White extend their thanks to Frank Parkinson for his sacrifices for our freedom.