Personal History
Oral interview at JAX reunion 4-07-88. Transcribed by Lou Ives.
[Background: “There there right now … as long as you see that light’s on … yer, yer in (garbled), o.k., so when yer qu … (garbled), then when you quit …]
Jim Parkes here. I’ya signed on the Navy in May of 1946. And after two years of higher education, I arrived at Pensacola, Florida in mid-1848 for Class 15 of ‘48. After the finest flight training in the world, I … ah … got my wings in December of ‘49 in Corpus Christi. Qualified as a perspective aircraft cohmaan-daah in the PB4Y-2. After that, I proceeded to Norfolk for duty in VR-32, and from there to San Diego for duty to … correction: VR-31 in Norfolk, and then to San Diego for VR-32 duty.
After which, I … ah … got out of the Navy, and went to work for American Airlines. I was back in, on a voluntary basis, … did a three-year tour in HS-8, … in 1962, -3, and -4.
And I was also active in the Naval Reserve flying, in-between, and after, the final tour.
Retiring out of Los Alamitos in 1970.
And, looking forward to some of that hard-earned money here not too far away.
Memorable and Humorous
Memorable experience: getting a per-diem check bigger than my Midshipman paycheck in VR-31.
Class:
Pensacola Pre-Flight Class 15-48