Kneeland Ira Parshley was born on January 8, 1922, in Concord, Merrimack County, New Hampshire. He was the son of Joseph Kneeland Parshley Jr. and Annie Grace Blasidell Parshley. He enlisted in the service on October 2, 1942. He served in the 751st Bomber Squadron, 457th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner of B-17 (42-97465) known as ''Scarlet Harlot'' during World War II.

On April 9, 1944, "Scarlet Harlot" took part in a large-scale bombing operation over the Baltic coast, targeting German factories involved in Focke-Wulf aircraft production near Gdynia (then Gotenhafen). During the mission, "Scarlet Harlot" was hit by intense German anti-aircraft fire and eventually went down near Osiek Lęborski, Poland. While the pilot did not survive the crash, most of the crew managed to parachute out, though they were soon captured and taken as prisoners of war. Tragically, two crew members who bailed out were later found deceased due to injuries sustained during their descent. SSgt Parshley was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Liège, Liège, Belgium.

Source of information: www.trojmiasto.pl, ww.americanairmuseum.com