Major Parker was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. After high school he volunteered for one year in the AmeriCorps (domestic Peace Corps) before accepting an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated from Annapolis with a B.S. in Economics and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in May of 2008.   

Selected for a graduate scholarship, Maj Parker received an M.Phil from the University of Cambridge in July of 2009, and completed a Congressional Fellowship on the House Armed Services Committee before attending The Basic School as a member of Golf Company. After completing the Basic Officer Course in April of 2010, Maj Parker reported to NAS Pensacola for Aviation Preflight Indoctrination, and completed follow-on training in the T-6A at Vance Air Force Base, and the T-45C aboard NAS Meridian.

Designated as a Naval Aviator in May of 2012 and nominated as a Selectively Retained Graduate (SERGRAD), Maj Parker served as an advanced jet instructor pilot before attending F/A-18 Fleet Replacement Training aboard NAS Oceana in September 2013. Following the completion of his training in July 2014, Maj Parker then joined the “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) forward deployed to Sheikh Isa Air Base in support of OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE.

As a member of VMFA-314, Maj Parker served as the Airframes Officer, Adjutant, Safety Officer, and Logistics Officer. He completed a Western Pacific deployment with the Black Knights in the spring of 2016 and deployed again in support of OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE in the spring of 2018.

Designated as a Forward Air Controller (FAC), Maj Parker then joined Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) where he served as an Air Officer from July 2018 to July 2020. Following a refresh syllabus in the F/A-18 in December 2020, Maj Parker served as the Operations Officer of Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 (VMFAT-101) until February 2022. He then joined the “Death Rattlers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 (VMFA-323) where he served as the Aircraft Maintenance Officer and deployed to Powidz, Poland in support of the Ukraine Crisis. Upon returning from deployment in October 2022, he assumed his current billet as the VMFA-323 Executive Officer.   

Maj Parker’s personal decorations include the Air Medal with numeral “2”, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with one Gold Star, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with one Gold Star, National Defense Service Medal, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Korean Defense Service Medal.​​​​​​​

He’s amassed over 2,000 flight hours including over 150 combat hours in Iraq and Syria.