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| Lt. Joseph Parsley was a navigator with the 462nd Bombardment Group based in India. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12691336/joseph-d_-parsley https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/military-usa-army-air-forces-units-462nd-bombardment-group-boeing-b-29 |
Joseph Dalton Parsley never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on April 17, 1919 in Texas. His parents Green and Vinnie were born in Missouri and Texas, respectively. His father worked as a carpenter. Joseph had one older sister. Joseph was an Eagle Scout with Bronze and Silver Palms. By 1940 Joseph had completed four years of high school and was living with his parents, getting ready to attend college. His father died in 1941.
He joined the army on January 27, 1941. After 14 months in the army he was a non-commissioned officer. He volunteered for the Army Air Forces, was accepted to flight school and was trained as a B-29 Super Fortress navigator. He got his wings in January 1943. He married Mildred Turner in February 1943. He became a first lieutenant in the 771st Bombardment Squadron, 462nd Bombardment Group which was sent to India in early 1944. Many of the missions were not bombing missions, but missions to deliver fuel and other supplies to airfields in China that the 462nd BG could then use for refueling to reach Japan. It was the first unit to bomb Japan after the Doolittle Raid.
Lt. Parsley completed 12 missions. On September 20, 1944 Lt. Parsley was aboard a C-109 (a modified B-24) with a mission to deliver fuel from India to China. The plane crashed after takeoff, claiming the life of Lt. Parsley and at least one other airman. He left behind a three month old daughter he never met. She was baptized the next month during Lt. Parsley's memorial service.
His grave is at Oakwood Cemetery in Denton, Texas. I don't know what happened to his widow, after she remarried, or his daughter.
Last year on this date I profiled Sliver Star hero Harvey Osman, 29th Infantry Division, and the well known actor William Holden. You can read about Harvey here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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