Ron Parker: Shake and bake

By Al Rodriguez, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

When Ronald “Ron” Parker was drafted into the Army he was assigned to the infantry. He said he loved being an infantryman, even when he served in Vietnam.  So much so that when he became an officer with other options available, he asked to be assigned to the infantry.

Ron’s parents were both WWII veterans. His mom served in the Marines stateside.  His dad was in the Pacific as a Navy Bosun’s Mate working on a landing craft. He was ferrying Marines to Guadalcanal when the Navy withdrew as the Japanese fleet approached. He was stranded there for three months until the Navy returned. Also in WWII, his Uncle Harry Parker flew P51 Mustangs in Europe and was a double ace, shooting down 13 enemy aircraft. He was killed in action. When the war ended Ron’s parents returned to Merrimack, New Hampshire, and, using the GI Bill, attended the University of New Hampshire.  Ron was born in Exeter while his parents were attending school. His sister was born two years later. His dad graduated with an engineering degree and worked for the government, travelling around the country and eventually moving to Marion, Illinois. Ron went to public school in Illinois but graduated high school at the Columbia Military Academy in Tennessee.

Ron attended the University of Illinois in Champaign for a year before he decided to transfer to Southern Illinois University. He finished his sophomore year and thought he’d take a break. He moved to Huntington Beach, California, and worked in marking supply sales. Within a few months he was drafted into the Army. He felt that it was his turn to serve his country, so he moved back home to Marion and was inducted in St. Louis, Missouri.

On August 12, 1970, he arrived at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training. Ron said that all the physical training got him in great shape. After basic he was sent to Fort Ord, California, for advanced infantry training.  He learned the skills needed to be an infantryman: using small arms, patrolling, survival, evasion, resistance and escape “SERE,” etc. Once he finished AIT and because he scored highly in the Army General Classification Test, he was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia, for the Infantry Leaders Course, nicknamed “Shake and Bake” by the soldiers. This intensive training made a private, E-1 into a sergeant, E-5. This training prepared him to go to Vietnam in a leadership role. He trained with the Rangers, patrolling mock villages, war games and other combat missions. Everything he needed to be a squad leader in Vietnam. After completing the Leadership course, he continued his training. On May 4, 1971, he was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky as a Sergeant of the Guard. Within a couple of months, he received his orders for Vietnam.

In August, 1971 Ron arrived in Vietnam. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, 1st Battalion, and 502nd Infantry. He was immediately trucked to Camp Eagle near Hue and assigned to Company B as an Infantry Squad Leader. The company was already deployed, and he was helicoptered out to the field. There he met SFC Roylo, the platoon sergeant, who understood that Ron, as a new Infantry Squad Leader, needed field training. Ron said he was lucky to have Sergeant Roylo as a teacher because he taught him everything he needed to know to be a good combat soldier and leader. As a squad leader he said he was in several fire fights that were frightening but he was lucky none of his guys were killed. On one mission his squad had a night defensive perimeter on a hilltop when they were hit by Typhoon Hester. They hunkered down. The streams below converged, and their hilltop became an island. They couldn’t walk out and the helicopters couldn’t fly in the storm to get them out or bring supplies. They had food rations for two days but were stranded for ten. He said that the squad made do, ate whatever they could scrounge from their packs and survived with their ingenuity and camaraderie. One good memory during his time in Vietnam, at Camp Eagle his base camp, they had no can openers and had to open their beer with a bayonet. That was when cans had no pop tops. Ron wrote a letter to the president of Anheuser Busch explaining to him their situation. Somehow the letter was read because a month later he received a case of can openers. In February 1972, Ron was transferred to the 196th Brigade who needed a squad leader and was helicoptered to ‘Monkey Mountain’. Unbeknownst to him his mother had requested an early out for him and it was granted.

Ron was processed out of Vietnam on March 13, 1972. He said this began the longest day of his life. He left Vietnam with his duffel bag containing everything he owned the morning of March 13, 1972. Due to the International Date Line, he was sitting on his couch at home in Marion Illinois the evening of March 13, 1972. He said, ‘I went from a war zone with very little to the U.S. and all the material things that we take for granted’.

In the fall of 1972 with the help of the G.I. Bill, he was able to resume his classes as a junior at Southern Illinois University. He met his future wife, Nancy, there. Ron graduated with a Business/Marketing degree in May of 1974. He said at this time the country was having economic problems with scarce jobs and high gas prices.  He thought about how much he had enjoyed his time as an infantryman, married Nancy and reenlisted in the Army in August 1974. He was assigned to Fort Ord, California. With his previous test scores and combat experience he kept his rank as an E-5 The 7th Infantry was being reactivated.  They were starting from ground zero for personnel and organizational assignments. Originally Ron was assigned to Company C, U.S. Army Training Center.  That unit was responsible for in-processing the soldiers being assigned to the new division.  The top sergeant saw his army test scores and college degree and asked him if he would stay and help with assigning people to new units.  As soon as he could, he assigned himself to the Combat Support Company with the 2nd Battalion 17th Infantry Scout Platoon. Once again, he was in the infantry as an Infantry Squad Leader. One fond memory is from New Years Eve 1974. He was invited to a friend’s house in Monterey with other soldiers. Clint Eastwood lived next door and stopped in to say hello. 

In the Army, Ron had always been in leadership positions and he decided to apply for Officer Training School. He was accepted and started classes July 1976. He was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia, for this training and found that there was very little difference between the enlisted and officer training. Both had to deal with the Georgia heat and humidity. He said that on their first physical training test, they had to complete the obstacle course and then run two miles. When they finished, the men had to stand at parade rest in the sun while waiting for the others to complete the test. Many of the men had come from cold climates and their bodies hadn’t adjusted to the heat. He said many people around him passed out. After finishing this training, he stayed at Fort Benning for Infantry Leadership Training. When he went to Ranger training, the training included officers from around the world and from other branches of the service. Rank was not observed and everyone was treated the same. Ron said the trainers were trying to weed out anyone who couldn’t handle the grueling pace and many failed. He said the next phase was airborne training and jumping from an aircraft was a breeze compared to ranger training.  

On August 1977, after completing his leadership training, he received his first assignment to Fort Carson Colorado as a Second Lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade, 12th Infantry, C Company, Infantry Platoon Leader. He went to a platoon that had been without an officer for many months.  In leadership training he was told not to make changes immediately. He said he had to make them after the first five minutes. The platoon was in disarray.  On their first training mission he found that the company was lost in the mountains. Despite the protests from his NCOs he took over. He knew he was an excellent map reader from his combat experience and got them to the right coordinates. Their mission was to ambush the other platoons in the company.  He was able to do that by starting a campfire in a fake camp to lure in the other platoon. They were successful.  Ron said having been an enlisted man in a combat and leadership position he felt he could gain their trust. With his guidance they became a crack platoon.

In 1979 the 1st Brigade was sent to Germany for the NATO war game, Reforger. They were assigned to support a Dutch Division. The 1st Brigade was used for seizing bridgeheads and river crossings. The plan for one river crossing was that they would use their ponchos as rafts, storing their gear in them with the soldiers swimming across naked. When the Division and Brigade commanders saw this, they joined in and swam across naked too.

When he returned to Fort Carson he was promoted to First Lieutenant and assigned to a Heavy Mortar Platoon in a combat support company. He was sent to Fort Benning for mortar school. He was taught how to fire track mounted mortar cannons in support of the field troops. He said he learned more from his mortar platoon sergeant at Fort Carson than he did in school. 

Ron was assigned to Headquarters as a battalion logistics staff officer. He learned a little of what it meant to be a logistics staff officer. He only spent a few months there before being promoted to Captain and sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for Advanced Field Artillery Course Training. He was taught artillery tactics and how to fire different artillery weapons including how to assemble a small nuclear projectile.

He was then sent to Logistics Course Training at Fort Lee, Virginia. He said they had assigned him to be a logistics officer before he knew the job. Now he was learning the Army supply system, combat operations etc. 

As an infantry officer, crossed trained in artillery, mortars and logistics he was sent to Germany in May 1981. Ron was assigned to the 3rd Battalion 41st Infantry. He was the company commander for Company B stationed at the Garlstedt Kaserne in the 2nd Armored Division.  Company B was sent to support another Reforger, working with another Dutch Brigade. As the Company Commander he had to lead troops from other NATO countries. He had a British tank platoon and German anti-aircraft unit. He said it was a pretty effective fighting force. The logistics for rail transport of equipment, ammunition, food and men was demanding. Ron quoted Gen. Patton, an Army runs on its stomach.  An Army without supplies cannot fight. With all this responsibility he said it was challenging but a lot of fun. He said when they fought in these war games they fought with a sense of urgency because they were always outnumbered. He spent three years as a company commander. 

While in Germany, Ron met a Southern Baptist pastor who ministered to him and his wife. He was not a very religious person until then, but God and the church became a huge part of his life.

In 1985 he was reassigned stateside to an ROTC unit at Wheaton College, training students to be officers. While there he was promoted to Major. In the spring of 1992 with his wife Nancy ill, he decided to retire with 22 years in the Army. They lived in Bolingbrook and he went to work for The Equitable Insurance Company.  In 2000, after many years of being ill, his wife died. She had been with him throughout his career, traveling from place to place. In 2000, Ron left Equitable and went with Edward Jones, opening his own office in Oak Park. 

In 2001 he married, Carol a lifelong family friend. 

In 2004 he opened an independent financial office with Legacy Wealth Management. He stayed with them until he retired in 2020. Ron is an avid golfer. He is a member of the Mission Church in Bloomingdale, IL and says he stays busy helping and teaching classes there.

With all his travels, Ron has never been to the war memorials in D.C. He’s looking forward to seeing them all.

Ron, we thank you for the many years you spent protecting our country.  Enjoy your day in D.C!