David P Parks was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Parks of Freedom, Pennsylvania.  He married Betty Ann (Mickey) Parks on 22 May 1943 at an Army base in Columbia, Mississippi.  He entered the service in 1942 and was commissioned in 1943.   He shipped to Europe in January 1944.  He wrote to his wife three days per week, and sent his last letter the day before he perished.

David was the pilot of B-17 that was nicknamed the Raven’s Nest.   He belonged to the 749 Bomb Squadron of the 457 Bomb Group.  On 24 March 1944, he was awarded the Air Medal, which he shipped home to his wife.  On 9 April 1944, his squadron was sent to bomb an FW109 fighter aircraft factory at Gydnia, Poland.  Immediately after hitting the target, the squadron was attacked by German fighters.  The fighters hit David’s bomber in the area of the cockpit, and he gave the order to bail out.  Three crew members managed to do so, and became POWs.  David and the other six died when the plane exploded.

After the war, Betty created a scholarship in her husband’s memory.  It was for Dairy and Animal science at the Pennsylvania State University.

Information provided by Henri Hannon; Information from the Huntington Daily News of 24 April 1944, page 1; and information from Pennsylvania State University http://www.psu.edu/dept/findingaids/ead/1235.xml