Bill Parker, center was awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal on Oct. 20. During a recent trip to France, several people approached Parker to thank him for his part in liberating their country from Hitler during the war.
“Cowboy” Bill Parker Awarded France’s Highest Honor
By Kellie Matherly
December 1, 2022
On October 20, Choctaw tribal member Bill Parker received France’s highest award, the French Legion of Honor Medal. The ceremony took place at the Military History Museum in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
Fellow veterans, friends, family and community members attended the pinning ceremony, performed in French as is tradition, by Honorary Consul of France for Oklahoma Grant Moak. “The Legion of Honor is the most prestigious recognition that France gives anyone; it’s only given to those who have made a major contribution to France and its values,” said Moak. The French Legion of Honor award was signed off by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Parker, called Cowboy Bill since birth, grew up on horseback, working cattle and riding in rodeos near his home in Shady Point, Okla. Years later, his rough-and-tumble upbringing would come in handy as a member of the U.S. Army’s Company E, 2nd Battalion of the 116th Regimental Combat Team of the 29th Infantry Division. He joined the army just in time for the allied invasion of France.
Parker’s unit landed as the first wave at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. At 20 years old, Parker was the leader of the wire cutting team and was the first man off his landing craft. Under heavy fire from German soldiers, Parker’s team made their way to their assignment and blew the wire as instructed, but they became pinned under a pillbox near the beach where they endured shelling from U.S. Navy ships.
The 116th had the highest number of casualties of any unit on D-Day, but Bill Parker survived and led other soldiers to safety. He was promoted to Staff Seargeant in the field and served the rest of the war through V-E Day on May 8, 1945.
Parker lost most of his hearing in the Navy shelling at Omaha Beach, and he was twice wounded in the war, but living for almost 80 years with the carnage he witnessed has been the hardest part. For decades, Parker suffered from terrible nightmares.
This summer, Parker returned to Omaha Beach for the first time since D-Day.
Seeing the families and children enjoying themselves at the beach in peace helped cure him of those nightmares. While in France, several people approached Parker to thank him for his part in liberating their country from Hitler during the war.
On receiving the medal, Parker told the crowd, “I never expected any of this for me, but I think it needs to be told, and I’m just glad it happened.”