Ohio Tech Sgt Air Corps WW2
______________

T/Sgt Warren Harding Parks
Birth: 4 Mar 1921, Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio, USA
Death: 24 Dec 1944, near Aywaille, Arrondissement de Liege, Liege, Belgium
Bio:
Technical Sergeant Warren Harding Parks, Army serial number 35048127, was born at Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio on March 4, 1921. He was one of at least ten children of Floyd Thomas Parks Sr (5 Sep 1888 – 8 Apr 1969) and Alice M. (Crissman) Parks (23 Mar 1888 – 26 Nov 1969), who were born in Pennsylvania. His parents married on August 16, 1910. In 1940 the family lived on a farm in Springfield Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, and his father worked in a steel plant.


He graduated from Petersburg (Ohio) High School, and worked at the Petersburg Milling Company, a grain milling company. His wife was Pearl M. (Wentz) Parks. They married on June 6, 1941. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at Cleveland, Ohio on February 13, 1943. In 1944 his wife lived at New Springfield, Mahoning County, Ohio, which was his home of record.


He completed Army Air Forces flight engineer and aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as engineer-gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Ira L. Ball, in the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. This Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near the village of Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.


On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines, to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. T/Sgt Parks and six of his crew mates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. Most of the aircraft wreckage fell in the Ambleve River near Aywaille, Belgium.


After the war, his remains were returned to the United States. Funeral services were held at Saint John's Lutheran Church in Petersburg, Ohio on November 14, 1947. His remains were then interred at Petersburg Cemetery (aka Saint Johns Cemetery) in Petersburg, Mahoning County, Ohio. He is buried in Section C-4, Row 2. Arrangements were handled by Frye Funeral Home.


There is a photo of Warren H. Parks on the 487th Bomb Group website.


Some relatives:
He had at least nine siblings:
• Howard Glennis Parks (22 Dec 1911 – 9 Nov 1993)
• Odean Elsie (Parks) Felger (10 Jul 1913 – 15 Dec 2008)
• Floyd Thomas 'Mose' Parks Jr (17 Apr 1917 – 19 Mar 2006)
• Stanley Vincent Parks (29 Oct 1918 – 2 Oct 1994)
• Betty Louise (Parks) Wentz Weber (16 Jan 1920 – 2 May 1998)
• Paul Edward Parks (8 Mar 1922 – 16 Sep 1987)
• Alice Arlene (Parks) Dyce (3 Feb 1925 – 24 Jun 1991)
• Luther Joseph Parks (13 Apr 1927 – 7 Oct 2003)
• Russel E. Parks (abt 1929 – unk)


His father's parents were George A. Parks (1 Jul 1866 – 17 Feb 1942) and Martha Emma (Adams) Parks (9 Jun 1868 – 20 Nov 1910). They married about 1887.


Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1930 US Census; Ohio; Mahoning County; Springfield Township. Parks, Floyd T. Apr 1930 (his father)
3. 1940 US Census; Ohio; Mahoning County; Springfield Township. Parks, Floyd. 25 Apr 1940 (his father)
4. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
5. Enlistment Record of Warren H. Parks
6. Find A Grave pages of Warren H. Parks and Floyd T. Parks by Anne Rupert
7. Mundia.com (ancestry.com) profiles of Warren Harding Parks (1921–1944)
8. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
9. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
10. Youngstown (Ohio) Vindicator, Wed, 12 Nov 1947, p 4. Obituary of Warren H. Parks


Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
-


While researching WWII casualties on http://news.google.com/newspapers, I came across this article on Warren Parks. I offer it to you in the hope that you might add it to his Find-A-Grave memorial.

Published in the YOUNGSTOWN VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, internet edition, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1947, PAGE FOUR

SGT. WARREN PARKS
Petersburg, Nov. 12--Funeral services for Sgt. Warren H. Parks, who was killed in Belgium Dec. 24, 1944, will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at St. John's Lutheran Church, Petersburg.

Sergeant Parks was born in Youngstown March 4, 1921. A son of Floyd T. and Alice Crisman Parks. He was a graduate of Petersburg High School. Before entering the service he worked for the Petersburg Milling Co.

He leaves his wife, the former Pearl Wentz, whom he married June 6, 1941; his parents here; six brothers, Howard and Floyd Jr. of Petersburg, Stanley, Paul, Luther and Russell, all of Canfield; three sisters, Mrs. Carl Felger, Mrs. James Dyce, both of Canfield, and Mrs. Paul Wentz of New Waterford.

The body is at the Fry Funeral Home.

***Per research on www.Fold3 & Missing Air Crew Report #11559, Sgt. Parks was the Flight Engineer on B-17G #43-37589, from the 836th Bomber Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, Heavy, which was lost due to fighter attack on a mission to Babenhausen, Germany. On the 487th Bomb Group website, there are 2 photos of Sgt. Parks.***