Sergeant Joseph Franklin “Joe” Parks

Air Medal w/ 3 Oak Leaf Clusters

Joseph Franklin Parks was born on January 10, 1922 in Silver City NM to Harry and Hazel Parks. He was raised in Lake Valley NM on his father’s ranch and attended Deming HS where we was captain of the football team and student body president. After graduation in 1940 he enrolled at NMAMC in the College of Arts and Sciences for the fall 1940 semester. He attended two years until his entering the USAAF in October 1942. He was sent to Mountain Home Idaho where he was trained as an aerial gunner and from there he was assigned to a B-24 crew as tail gunner. Shipped overseas in November 1944, his aircrew was assigned to the 712th Bomb Squadron, 448th Bomb Group flying out of Seething, Norfolk. His crew was eventually selected for special training as a lead crew. On March 25, 1945, flying in B-24 #42-50646 “Piccadilly Commando” as part of the Stalland crew, they were the lead aircraft on a mission to Buchen Germany. Shortly after releasing their payload the flight of nine bombers was attached by 12 Me 262’s, the new German jet aircraft. In a matter of seconds 6 of the nine bombers were seriously damaged. Sgt. Parks aircraft was stuck and exploded, throwing two crew members free of the aircraft. They managed to survive along with one other member. All the other crew members were lost in the crash near Schneverdingen Germany. In 1949, Sgt. Parks body was brought home and reinterred in the Deming Cemetery. Sgt. Joe Parks was 23 years of age at the time of his death.