Eugene Earl “Gene” Parker Jr. was born on April 21, 1924, in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. He was the son of Eugene Earl Parker Sr. and Mabel Emily Mayes Parker. He was married to Ruth Elaine Göehle Parker. He worked as a gas station mechanic, specializing in Lincoln-Zephyr transmissions. After enlisting on March 15, 1943, during World War II, he trained as a gunner in Colorado. While initially assigned as a waist gunner on a B-17G, he later transitioned to the Sperry ball turret. Following further training in Texas and Florida, he was deployed overseas. He served in the 775th Bomb Squadron, 463rd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Ball Turret Gunner of B-17 #42-31685 nicknamed 'Pete's Playhouse' during World War II.

On May 10, 1944, the “Pete’s Playhouse” took part in a bombing mission against the important German industrial target at Wiener Neustadt, Austria. As part of the 15th Air Force operating from Italy, the aircraft and its crew flew deep into heavily defended enemy territory, where intense anti-aircraft fire and fighter opposition were common. During the mission, the bomber was hit by German flak, severely damaging the aircraft. Unable to maintain formation or safely return to base, the crew was forced to abandon the aircraft or attempt to control it as it descended. The B-17 ultimately crashed near Vöstenhof, southwest of Wiener Neustadt. Of the ten-man crew, five were killed in action, while five managed to survive and were captured, becoming prisoners of war.

SSgt Parker was wounded in multiple places, parachuted into a tree, and landed on his right foot, as his other foot was injured. After regaining his composure, he found himself confronted by an Austrian man pointing a gun at him. Gene raised his hands and pleaded not to be shot. The man placed him in a two-wheeled cart and took him to a nearby village hospital, where his foot was treated. According to the MACR, on May 25, 1944, he and right waist gunner Stephen Milewski were transferred from Luftwaffe Hospital 5/XVII in Felbring (Muthmannsdorf). They were then transported by train through Vienna and, after a long and painful journey, arrived at Stalag Luft 4 in Gross Tychow (Tychowo, Poland). He remained there until the advancing Russian forces prompted a transfer to Stalag Luft 1 in Barth, Germany, passing through Camp Lucky Strike in Le Havre, France, before returning to the United States.

After the war, he worked for Kroger in Cincinnati, and in 1951, he was transferred to Milan, Indiana, to manage a new store, later moving to Aurora, Indiana. He retired from Kroger in 1971 and devoted himself fully to ministry as a Baptist pastor. From 1971 to 1998, he served several churches, including Moores Hill, Badger Grove, and Edwardsport, later becoming a minister-at-large. He retired in 1998 and returned to Edwardsport. He died on January 22, 2012, and is now buried in the Arlington Memorial Gardens, Mount Healthy, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, americanarchive.iwm.org.uk