World War II
Raymond Parks served his country proud at the Battle of the Bulge.
Raymond Parks had become firmly planted in the business and racing world at the commencement of World War II. He wasn’t ready to be a soldier. When we asked if he joined, he laughed and said, “Hell no.”
Leaving operations in the hands of family members and associations, he headed to the European front in 1942. In 1943, he was promoted to T-Sergeant (Raymond refers to it as “T-Model Sergeant”). His unit found itself in the winter of 1944-45 in a bad situation.
“We were on the front line at the Battle of the Bulge,” he told us. “Pinned down for seven days, they couldn’t bag us fast enough, half of our company, either captured or killed. We were in the same foxholes for over three months. The Germans were on the other side of the hill constantly trying to get across our lines. I stayed on sentry duty as much as possible. Hard to sleep in those conditions, knowing some German wants to share my ditch. I can still hear ‘em scream when one of our mortars hit target.”
“I never asked for that,” Raymond said. “I just did what I was supposed to and was one of the lucky ones.”
Raymond was honored for his bravery on the battlefield, and each year he attends the 99th Infantry’s reunions. He and his wife Violet went to Europe for the 50th anniversary in 1995.
“Lot more peaceful now,” Raymond told us. “Most of the foxholes are still there, just not as deep or cold anymore.”