World War II Honoree

Floyd Bruce Parks

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

El Paso, Texas

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: MAJOR. HE WAS A UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FIGHTER PILOT, WHO WAS COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT UPON HIS GRADUATION FROM THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND. SERVED AS COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE MARINE FIGHTING SQUADRON, ‘FIGHTING FALCONS’ TWO TWENTY ONE, VMF-221 ATTACHED TO THE SECOND MARINE AIRCRAFT WING. DURING THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY, HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE BATTLE THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1942 WHILE LEADING HIS SQUADRON AGAINST A SUPERIOR FORCE OF JAPANESE FIGHTERS AND BOMBERS ATTACKING THE ISLAND. REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 1943 AND HE IS MEMORIALIZED AT THE HONOLULU NATIONAL MEMORIAL, ‘PUNCHBOWL’ HAWAII. IN HIS HONOR AND MEMORY, THE DESTROYER, USS FLOYD B. PARKS, DD-884 LAUNCHED MARCH 31, 1945 AND WAS SPONSORED BY HIS WIFE. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: NAVY CROSS, PURPLE HEART, NAVY PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION, AMERICAN DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL AND THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL. RECIPIENT OF THE NAVY CROSS AND THE PURPLE HEART POSTHUMOUSLY. THE MARINE WAS AWARDED THE NAVY CROSS FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM AND CONSPICUOUS DEVOTION TO DUTY AS SQUADRON COMMANDER FOR MARINE FIGHTING SQUADRON TWO TWENTY-ONE, IN ACTION AGAINST ENEMY JAPANESE FORCES DURING THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY, JUNE 4, 1942 AND THE PURPLE HEART FOR HIS ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.