James F. Parker was born on March 3, 1925, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Ruth E. Parker and James E. Parker. He served in the 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot of P-38 Lightning #42-104409 during World War II.

On September 16, 1944, a formation of twelve P-38 Lightning fighters from the 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, took off on a mission toward Bonn, Germany. The weather over the Ardennes was dreadful, forcing the young pilots to fly by instruments through dense clouds. The squadron split into two groups for safety, with Parker flying as Blue 2 on the right wing and 2Lt Charles F. Page as Red 2 on the left. Though separated by about 800 meters, somewhere inside the heavy cloud bank, Parker and Page’s planes collided. Neither had time to bail out. Parker’s aircraft crashed near Manhay, Belgium.

2Lt Parker is now buried in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, Henri-Chapelle, Arrondissement de Verviers, Liège, Belgium.

Source of information: www.grandmenil.com, www.abmc.gov