Edwin Charles "Ted" Parsons
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy

Edwin Charles Parsons was born on 24 September 1892 in Holyoke, MA.

A native of Holyoke, MA, Parsons was an experienced pilot when World War I began. He went to France at the end of 1915 and served with the U.S. Ambulance service before enlisting in the French Foreign Legion. In 1916, he became a pilot in the French Air Service and was assigned to N124 in January 1917. He was an ace, having earned eight air combat victories during the conflict. When the war ended, Parsons returned to the U.S. and joined the FBI. He was also active as an aviation advisor for several Hollywood movies.

As a U.S. Navy officer during the Second World War, he served as an aviation instructor at the Pensacola Naval Air Station and also took part in the Solomon Islands Campaign. By war's end, he had earned a promotion to the grade of Rear Admiral.

He was the author of "I Flew With the Lafayette Escadrille."

Death and Burial

Rear Admiral Edwin Charles Parsons died on 2 May 1968. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.