Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Private 1st Class

Unit:

Company C, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division "All American", U.S. Army

Awarded on:

August 8th, 1944

Citation:
"For extraordinary heroism in combat on 11 June 1944 near Guetteville, France. While crossing from enemy territory to friendly lines, Private First Class Parris, a machine gunner in a parachute infantry regiment, approached a German sentry and pretended he was a German officer, then quietly killed the German with his trench knife. He had dropped by parachute deep in hostile territory on the morning of D-Day, and led seven men, with courage and skill and consummate daring, for five days through territory covered with enemy troops. En route, he never hesitated to engage any opposition encountered and left many German dead behind him. When he reached the enemy main line of resistance it became necessary to eliminate the last obstacle by deception rather than rifle fire. The heroic leadership and valiant personal achievements of Private First Class Parris enabled seven comrades to survive battle, hunger, thirst and fatigue and rejoin their organization. His conduct was in the highest tradition of our armed forces."

Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army, General Orders No. 79 (1944).