Sunday, December 9, 2012

Influential double ace fighter pilot dies at 88

From My San Antonio:  Influential double ace fighter pilot dies at 88


  • Ralph Parr, one of the most decorated aviators in American history, flew fighter planes in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Photo: COURTESY PHOTO / SA

Ralph Sherman Parr Jr., one of the most decorated military pilots in U.S. history, has died, joining the ranks of other legendary aviators who shaped today's Air Force.
Parr, a double ace in the Korean War, had undergone treatment for cancer in recent weeks at an assisted living facility in New Braunfels, where he died Friday at 88.
Parr was among the last survivors of an era of gutsy, instinctive flying before remotely piloted aircraft and technology changed the way wars are fought in the air.
Bob Laymon, a friend and military historian, said Parr “inspired and motivated combat aviators and future Air Force leaders,” sharing his knowledge of flight theory and thermodynamics at speaking engagements and Friday night gatherings at the Randolph AFB officers' club.
“Nothing brought more joy to Col. Parr than to sit down next to a young captain in a Nomex flight suite and discuss energy-maneuverability during a dogfight,” Laymon said.
Ken Murray, a retired lieutenant colonel who spent months interviewing Parr for a biography set for release next year, called him an “amazing man” who often talked about “camaraderie, covering your wingman and the spirit of flight.”
“A steely-eyed true American patriot, fighter pilot and leader, he was the epitome of the greatest aviators and military officers this world will ever know,” Murray said.
In one of his last interviews with the San Antonio Express-News, Parr recalled his first flight as a boy; the downing of a Russian transport during the Korean War; and lessons he taught young pilots in Vietnam, even while being scolded by commanders for “flying too much.”
“I enjoyed flying whatever airplane I was sitting in,” he told the Express-News in October.
Parr, a retired colonel and one of only a few fighter aces who was still living in the San Antonio area, flew more than 640 combat missions in three wars and received more than 60 citations. He's the only person awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the medal that replaced it in 1960: the Air Force Cross.
Parr was born July 1, 1924, in Portsmouth, Va. He enlisted in 1942 and flew in the Pacific during World War II.
His actions in Korea, where he was often outnumbered by enemy aircraft, made him a legend. Parr and longtime friend and flying companion Frederick “Boots” Blesse trained together at Nellis AFB, Nev., in quick, agile F-86 Sabres.
Both of them became double aces, each shooting down 10 enemy aircraft in the war. Parr was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross after he confronted 10 MiGs, destroying two before escorting a distressed friendly aircraft back to his base.
While being treated for cancer, Parr kept a framed copy of a painting of Blesse shooting down a MiG in his room. Blesse, 91, died Oct. 31 near his home in Florida.
Parr said he was proud that he “stayed in fighters and tried to teach” young pilots in Vietnam. He received the Air Force Cross for protecting a supply route to Khe Sanh, destroying mortar and heavy-caliber weapons positions in spite of battle damage to his F-4C Phantom II.
Parr retired in 1976 and moved to New Braunfels. In 2008, the Randolph officers' club, now called the Parr O'Club, was renamed in his honor. The local “River Rat” chapter of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association was named the Ralph Parr Pack in his honor.
“He came to every monthly River Rat party until he became too ill to travel,” said Gary Baber, a friend and former Vietnam pilot.
Murray said he recorded 100 hours of conversations with Parr that including “awe-inspiring stories of his journey.”
“Col. Parr, my hero, won't be missed by many. He will be missed by all,” Murray said.
Parr is survived by his wife Margaret and three stepchildren. Arrangements for a local funeral and burial at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery are pending.

 

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