Overview
- Parks received the Silver Star at the Pentagon on Nov. 26 from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach, who noted the decoration remains rare for the service, and he was also awarded a Bronze Star.
- The award recognizes a March 27 mission in which Parks, serving as mission commander, led four F‑16s on SEAD within a 21‑aircraft package targeting ballistic‑missile facilities in the CENTCOM theater, a mission reported to have been over Yemen.
- For roughly 15 minutes, his flight endured a barrage of surface‑to‑air missiles and anti‑aircraft fire that detonated within feet of his jet, countered by high‑G maneuvers and countermeasures.
- While below minimum fuel in hostile airspace, Parks coordinated emergency rendezvous with two tankers, a move the citation says likely prevented the loss of two aircraft.
- During the eight‑month deployment, the 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron recorded 108 drone and cruise‑missile shoot‑downs and adopted cost‑saving air‑to‑air use of AIM‑9M missiles and APKWS rockets, with Parks credited with six kills protecting USS Harry S. Truman.