Parker, Vincent E

Vincent E. Parker was a 38-year-old Petty Officer First Class from Preston, Mississippi, serving in the United States Navy. He was assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Peterson (DD 969), which was operating in support of the opening phase of Operation Enduring Freedom.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Parker died on November 18, 2001, in the Afghanistan region. The Pentagon's announcement listed the location of his death as 'Afghanistan, Philippines, Horn of Africa,' a broad geographic designation used at the time for the theater of operations. He was reportedly killed in action, though the precise tactical circumstances of his death were not detailed in initial public releases.

Operation Enduring Freedom began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. The initial military objective was to dismantle the al-Qaeda terrorist network and remove the Taliban regime from power in Afghanistan, which had provided the group sanctuary. The conflict rapidly expanded into a protracted counterinsurgency and nation-building effort.

The Navy confirmed Parker's death in a press release on November 20, 2001. He was among the first U.S. service members to die in the Afghanistan theater after the initial invasion. His death was reported by several major news outlets as the U.S. military began to sustain casualties in the new war.

Petty Officer First Class Parker is memorialized on the USS Peterson's unit page and on the Navy's official casualty lists for Operation Enduring Freedom. His name is inscribed on the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery roll of honor.

Petty Officer First Class Parker was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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