James Parker: From Celebrant to Celebrated

By Charlie Souhrada, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Longtime Honor Flight Chicago volunteer James “Jim” Parker usually wears an orange shirt on flight days, signifying his role in supporting the honored veterans. On flight day this month, Jim will put on a gray shirt, symbolizing he’s one of the veterans being celebrated on HFC flight #110 and he’s eager to enjoy the day from a different perspective. 

“I’m more comfortable wearing an orange shirt than a gray one,” he says. “I’m nervous, but eager and looking forward to the experience!” 

Fighting through nerves and trying something new should suit Jim like a well-worn shirt. The son of an Air Force officer, he was born in Brooklyn on May 14, 1946, and grew up “all over the place.” In short order, the Parker family, including Jim’s mom and dad, James A., and Mary Elizabeth “Bette,” sister Pegge, and brothers Pete and John, moved more places than Jim can remember. “I know we lived in Florida, Tennessee, Texas (twice), South Carolina, France and California” he says. 

During his freshman and sophomore years of high school, Jim attended a U.S. Department of Defense Dependents School (DoDDS) in France, then transferred to Pacific High School in San Bernardino, California, and graduated in 1964. He jokes that he worked as a burger flipper, including working at the original McDonald’s store in San Bernadino, to support his car. “That’s what you did in California!” he laughs. 

After graduating, he traveled to Colorado to attend the University of Denver. Jim admits college wasn’t a good fit at that point in his life and in mid-1965 he dropped out. “At the time, guys in my shoes were running to the Air Force to try to stay out of Vietnam and I found out that they only allowed six people per day to enter the Air Force from the entire city of Denver. By luck, Jim got his name on that list in September 1965, flipped burgers and waited. 

“In March 1966, I got the call for active duty in the Air Force and enlisted,” He says, “My dad was not pleased. He wanted me to go in as an officer and thought I should wait.” Despite these misgivings, Jim’s dad swore him in and he was off to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas (where he attended kindergarten) for basic training. 

“Basic was easy for me because I grew up in the Air Force.” Jim says. “I knew facing movements, how to make a bed and could pop a salute as well as any enlisted man in the Air Force!” 

During basic, Jim applied to be an aerial photograph interpreter or work in a weather room. Instead, he was assigned an odd Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC), 566 – an Engineering Entomology Specialist – which he realized meant “exterminator.” “The only reason that I could think of was that I studied biology in college” he says. “But I didn’t know why the Air Force thought of it as a priority.”

His first duty assignment was working in an Insect and Rodent Control office at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. “I spent 22 months at Langley in OJT learning the job from large scale mosquito control to spraying for roaches,” he laughs. “Then I learned about the priority part.”

Jim’s role was in high demand during the Vietnam war due to severe problems with mosquitos, fleas and ticks and the communicable diseases they cause like malaria, Lyme disease, even bubonic plague. In early March,1968, he shipped out to Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base in Vietnam, where he was stationed most of his time in country. There, one of his primary duties was to develop plans and operations for large scale mosquito abatement.  

The job also included spraying chemicals, including Agent Orange, to control weeds along perimeter fences. He also was assigned other engineer duties, such as truck driving, masonry, and an occasional visit to “secure” villages to drill water wells and deal with insect related health problems. Additionally, he collected specimens of non-insect vermin, particularly rats and snakes, for purposes of identification and control. 

“There were snakes in Vietnam that many people had never heard of,” he says. “Some of these were extremely dangerous. GIs called them one, two, or three steppers, which meant how many steps you’d be able to take after they bit you before you dropped dead.”

In March 1969, Jim returned to the states and served as an instructor in general entomology at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. He is most proud of a class he developed for Vietnam-bound Airmen to learn how to deal with “non-traditional” adversaries in Southeast Asia. “We taught guys what they needed to know specifically about the job there.” 

While teaching, he took time to complete his college degree and graduated in August 1972. One month later he served his last day in the Air Force and admits to being very sad when he turned in his ID Card. In addition to an Honorable Discharge, he received the following medals: National Defense Service; Vietnam Service with four Bronze Stars; Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/palm; Air Force Commendation Medal; Good Conduct Medal; Air Force Unit Citation ribbon; AF Longevity Service; and Expert Rifle Ribbon.

After leaving the service, Jim moved to Chicago where he leveraged his GI Bill benefits by attending Chicago-Kent College of Law at night, while working at a law firm during the day. After graduating in January 1977, he began building his law career in the city while living in Schaumburg. While commuting on the Northwestern train one day, he met Kathy, the love of his life, and they married, moved to Palatine, and adopted a daughter, Elizabeth. 

Unfortunately, Kathy suffered from poor health, and she passed away in October 2007. After she died, Jim continued to work part time, but something Kathy said shortly before her death stuck with him. She said, “after I go, don’t sit around and mope, I want you to go out and do something meaningful.”  He took her words to heart and joined the Kiwanis Club of Palatine in 2008.

He found that he really enjoyed sharing his time and talents with others and in 2015, Jim turned in his law license and further escalated his volunteer work to include another Kiwanis Club in Arlington Heights, Meals on Wheels, Sister City Association of Palatine, the Palatine Farmers Market and Honor Flight Chicago, which he joined in 2012. In 2020 he was named Volunteer of the Year by the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce.  

As to the color of Jim’s shirt, Honor Flight Chicago doesn’t care which color he wears. We’re just proud to have him with us and appreciate all he’s done for our country and for Honor Flight Chicago. 

Thank you, Jim!