His first assignment was as an instructor pilot at Blytheville Army Airfield, Arkansas, from February to September 1944, followed by P-38 Lightning transition training from October 1944 to April 1945.

[4] Parr then served as Deputy Commander for Operations of the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing at Cam Ranh Base, South Vietnam, from September 1967 to August 1968, flying F-4 Phantoms.

He received the Air Force Cross during the siege of Khe Sanh in 1968, for destroying several mortar and machine gun positions of the Viet Cong troops in one aerial sortie.

He completed seven out of eight combat approaches while flying a heavily damaged F-4, which not only impaired the hostile force's capability to impede the resupply of Khe Sanh, but also reduced further losses to friendly cargo aircraft and crews.

[3] Following the completion of his first tour in the Vietnam War, he served on the staff of the Military Personnel Group at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, from October 1968 to March 1970.

Parr died on December 7, 2012, at an assisted living facility in New Braunfels, Texas, at the age of 88, and was buried with full military honors at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.

Upon arrival over the target, the forward air controller advised the flight that the airfield was under heavy attack by hostile mortar positions, which were located a few feet below a ridge line.

Although the target area was covered with dense smoke and haze, Colonel Parr successfully destroyed one mortar position on his first pass, as six well-camouflaged heavy automatic weapons opened fire on him.

Again, completely disregarding his personal safety and the withering hostile gun fire, Colonel Parr succeeded in destroying six heavy caliber automatic weapons positions.

By destroying these strategically located weapons, he not only impaired the hostile force's capability to impede the resupply of Khe Sanh, but also reduced further losses to friendly cargo aircraft and crews.

Despite the imminent threat from the hail of cannon fire from behind, Captain Parr selected his target, and with a long burst from his guns, destroyed one of the enemy MIGs.

Utilizing extraordinary flying skill, Captain Parr tenaciously followed the enemy through a series of violent, evasive maneuvers until he gained the advantage and scored multiple hits on the MiG, causing it to burst into flame.

Although dangerously low on fuel, Captain Parr, at great risk to his life, provided aggressive and determined protection for the distressed friendly aircraft, escorting it safely back to base.