Major General G. C. Brant letter to C. Walder Parke's parents, March 20, 1943

Letter from Major General G. C. Brant to C. Walder Parke's parents congratulating them on their son's acceptance into the pilot training program. Brant stresses the high standards required for a military air pilot, and mentions that the Classification Board believed Parke was suited for the task. Classification consists of the mental and physical evaluations that determine the type of position for which a newly enlisted airman will begin training. Parke finished very little of the pilot training before he chose a different position. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72