On Parr: The Stunning Combat Missions of American Fighter Ace, Colonel Ralph Parr
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Description
He was just a kid when he first broke the surly bonds of earth. Bitten by the freedom of flight bug on his fifth birthday, Ralph Parr had what seemed like a never-ending horizon in front of him. Thankfully, his parents instilled in him a strong moral compass and the willingness to work, thus framing a young man with an extraordinary goal-oriented personality, traits that would pay off like the lottery years later. Even save his life!
Ralph learned many attributes during his adolescent years, but his learning curve was pulled into the vertical when he joined the United States Air Force after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Nobody knew then that he would distinguish himself during a 34-year career by flying combat missions in WWII, the Korean War where he was a Double Ace, and the Vietnam War.
When undaunted adversity and life-threatening events collide, “On Parr” divulges how this true American Patriot digs deep, rises to the top, and perseveres. You'll absorb the effects of his red stripe and many life lessons including his “short string” concept.
About the Author
KEN MURRAY was born and raised in Hudson, Iowa. He was an understudy in the publishing business as his parents owned and operated Hudson Printing Company for more than 49 years, until his father's passing in 2011. He worked his way through high school and college in the family business and graduated with a bachelor's degree in public relations/journalism minor from the University of Northern Iowa in 1985. He joined the Air Force in 1986 and earned his MBA in 1990 from the University of South Dakota. He was an instructor/evaluator navigator on KC-135 air refueling tankers and spent many years as an instructor navigator at the Nav School at Randolph AFB, TX. Murray is a combat veteran who flew missions in support of Operations Just Cause, Desert Storm, Allied Force, and was chief of combat operations at the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid AB, Qatar, supporting Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. He also served as editor of Torch Magazine, Air Education, and Training Command's Safety Magazine, where his team won the International Blue Pencil Award for government communicators. A highly decorated Air Force officer, Murray retired from the Air Force on 1 May 2011, as a Lt. Colonel, after a 25-year career.
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I sat so merry in my abode
Loving hands around me
I dreamt of such glorious days
One day i would see
I remember the day I left
My room
I closed the door behind me
One quick look again
Then walked away
The room which would always remind me
The glorious days I had dreamt
I did merrily spent
How little did I then know
Life turns on a dime
My room is now not as it was
When I closed the door
Behind me
My room now is a prison
But not how one would invision
It is one of sorrow and grief
Sadness burns into the bare walls
I catch my breath
And weep
Why did thou'st doth betray?
The room which once embraced me
I ask with riddled heart
Jagged and torn
Which wicked riddles have I thus sought?
I sit still
I am now my room
No dreams as once before
I age before my open door
In my room long ago
I sat merrily in my loving abode
Loving hands did hold me
All gone
My room and myself
Now one
Two thrust to be together
Forever
Alone