Parrish, David T.

DAVID THOMAS PARRISH

CAPTAIN

U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS

Captain David Thomas Parrish was born in Decatur, Indiana on October 4th, 1913. David’s mom was Ethel L. Barkley Parrish, and his father was Raleigh C. "R.C." Parrish; an Adams County Prosecutor, prominent attorney, and state representative. David’s younger brother, Robert James Parrish, was born three years later in 1916. The family lived in Decatur until 1919, when his parents moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Living in Fort Wayne, Parrish attended South Side High School, graduating in 1931. Following high school, David attended Indiana University and Indiana Law School; where he graduated and, like his father, became a lawyer in Fort Wayne. His brother, Robert, also would also attend Indiana University and Law School and become a lawyer in the family practice. David married Mary Eileen Cremean on July 25th, 1941; they would live together in Fort Wayne Indiana on Fairfield Avenue.

On April 2nd, 1942, David Parrish enlisted in the army as an officer. He trained in Louisiana and Texas for Officer Candidate School eventually becoming a Warrant Officer. Upon completion of his training, he joined allied troops in North Africa a few months before the Invasion of Italy. Parrish was assigned to the 15th Army Air Force sometime in late 1943 as a member of the adjutant general's office. Parrish attained the rank of Captain in August 1944.

The Fifteenth Air Force contributed to the victory in the air war over Europe. The Fifteenth was specifically based out of Foggia, Italy and was founded on November 1st, 1943 for the purpose off strategic bombing in areas outside the range of Britain. The 15th conducted bombing missions into the Balkans, with the purpose of cutting off the Germans only source of oil inside of Romania; eventually succeeding in destroying a large portion of German refineries. At the same time, the Fifteenth would run missions into Yugoslavia assisting partisan fighters, into southern Germany to destroy factories, and into the Soviet Union assisting Soviet offensives. The Fifteenth Air Force ceased operations shortly after the end of the war in September 1945.  

Captain David Thomas Parrish was killed on April 20th, 1945, in a plane crash on a return flight to Foggia when the B-17G (44-6441) “Flying Fortress” nicknamed "Mary Rose" he was a passenger in crashed into the side of a mountain. The aircraft, piloted by Lt. Robert Francis (an experienced combat pilot with 245 hours of flight time) was ferrying most of the military personnel aboard between Bari to Marcianise, Italy. The pilot attempted to descend out of the clouds in order to determine his position. Upon breaking through the clouds the pilot realized they were flying in a narrow valley buffered by mountains. Lt. Francis attempted to ascend quickly but struck a mountain, slid uphill, and crashed into a stone wall. There was only one survivor of the twenty-two passengers. The lone survivor, Private First Class Nicholas Sasik, suffered third degree burns and was thrown 150 feet from the crash site. Captain David Thomas Parrish’s remains would be temporarily buried in an American Cemetery in Italy and, upon conclusion of the war, returned to the United States. Funeral services were held at the Decatur Cemetery on December 15, 1945 with military rites performed by the newly named David Parrish American Legion Post 296 in Fort Wayne.

For his service Captain David Thomas Parrish would earn the American Campaign River, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon, and the World War II Victory Ribbon.

Information researched and collected by Dominic Suarez (2024).

SOURCES

“Welcome to AncestryClassroom®.” AncestryClassroom, www.ancestryclassroom.com/. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

"Capt. David Parrish is Killed in Italy" Decatur Daily Democrat, 30 Apr. 1945.

“Capt David T. Parrish (1913-1945) - Find a Grave...” Find a Grave, www.findagrave.com/memorial/43343740/david_t-parrish. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

"Final Tribute Paid Capt. David Parrish" Decatur Daily Democrat, 15 Dec 1945.

“The Forgotten Fifteenth.” Air & Space Forces Magazine, 18 Dec. 2024, www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0912fifteenth/.

SUPPLEMENTARY

B-17 44-6441 "Mary Rose"