World War II Honoree

Roger Elmo Parrish, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Jackson, Tennessee

Honored By

Sam E. Pennartz

ENLISTED AS AN AVIATION CADET IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON 3 JANUARY 1941 AT FORT OGLETHORPE, GEORGIA. COMPLETED PILOT TRAINING ON 15 AUGUST 1941 AND WAS COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT AT BARKSDALE FIELD NEAR SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA. ASSIGNED TO AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND, 6TH FERRYING GROUP AT LONG BEACH ARMY AIR FIELD, CALIFORNIA. VOLUNTEERED FOR B-29 AIRCRAFT TRANSITION AND COMBAT CREW TRAINING AT SMOKY HILL ARMY AIR FIELD NEAR SALINA, KANSAS. DEPLOYED VIA AFRICA TO THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATRE AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XX BOMBER COMMAND, 58TH BOMB WING, 468TH BOMBARDMENT 'GENERAL BILLY MITCHELL' GROUP, 794TH BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT KHARAGPUR AIRFIELD IN THE BENGAL PROVINCE OF INDIA. AS PART OF OPERATION MATTERHORN TO BOMB JAPAN, HIS B-29 AIRCRAFT FLEW OVER THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN RANGE AND LOGISTICALLY STAGED A BOMBING MISSION THROUGH PENGSHAN AIRFIELD (A-7) NEAR CHENGDU, CHINA. ON 7 DECEMBER 1944, HE FLEW IN THE LEFT SEAT AS THE AIRPLANE COMMAND PILOT ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS NICKNAMED 'GALLOPIN’ GOOSE' (SERIAL #42-6390). IT WAS ONE OF 108 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD JAPANESE FORCES AT THE MANCHURIA AIRPLANE MANUFACTURING COMPANY AND AN ADJACENT ARSENAL AT MUKDEN IN SHENYANG, CHINA. WHILE OVER THE TARGET AREA, THE GROUP FORMATION WAS ATTACKED BY A BAND OF KAWASAKI KI-45 'NICK' TWIN-ENGINE FIGHTER PLANES. HIS B-29 AIRCRAFT WAS RAMMED BY ONE OF THE BATTLE DAMAGED JAPANESE PLANES, SHEARING OFF THE LEFT HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZERS. HE WAS KILLED DURING THE ENSUING CRASH OF HIS DISABLED BOMBER.