When Vicki Parker talks about her daughter Dana, one word keeps popping up – adventure.
“She was always an adventuresome kid,” Parker said of her 25-year-old. The eldest of three girls who Vicki and Steve Parker raised on the Tulalip Reservation, Dana Parker has often chosen a path less traveled.
After graduation in 2000 from Marysville-Pilchuck High School, she narrowed her college list to two great options. Her quest led her to the United States Air Force Academy rather than the University of Washington.
“She wanted a challenging education and the opportunity for travel,” Vicki Parker said.
In 2004, she graduated from the academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., with a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry. Always athletic, she played college rugby. In her senior year, she competed on the Air Force ski team. By graduation, her sights were set on the next big thrill.
“She was saying, ‘Gee, I don’t know if an indoor desk job is for me,’” said Vicki Parker. Dana wanted something with more – yep – adventure. The next stop was pilot training.
Now, she is Air Force 1st Lt. Dana Parker, with a job challenging enough for anyone. From a base in the Middle East, she flies into Iraq every other day as co-pilot of C-130 Hercules cargo planes.
Her parents hear few details of her duties beyond the broad-brush mission of providing support for the Iraq war.
“The thing about the C-130, it’s made for a war environment,” Vicki Parker said. “They can do strategic landings and takeoffs. They can land on sand or dirt.”
The Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. turboprop plane has been in production since the late 1950s. A new model is still being made. The planes carry all sorts of loads, from troops and helicopters to armored vehicles.
Vicki Parker said her daughter never wanted to be a fighter pilot, despite fighters being coveted among her peers. “It is a lot like ‘Top Gun.’ But in pilot training, she loved the low-level flying. It’s more adventurous,” Vicki Parker said.
While many at the Air Force Academy are licensed pilots by graduation, Dana spent the summer of 2004 in private flying lessons. Next came six months of pilot training at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, where she faced “a tough learning curve,” her mom said. “She never complained, even in boot camp.”
After Georgia came another six months at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. Then, it was on to Little Rock, Ark., for six months of training with the C-130.
The family marked her progress with trips to graduations. Between sports and the Air Force, “we sure have seen a lot of the country,” Vicki Parker said. Her daughter is now based at Pope Air Force Base near Fayetteville, N.C., where the Air Force provides transportation for Army troops at nearby Fort Bragg.
Dana Parker is committed to 10 years in the Air Force, or to a shorter stint plus time in the reserves. For now, it’s flying giant loads into Iraq.
“They land several places in Iraq, wherever they’re needed,” Vicki Parker said. “It’s 12- to 16-hour days.”
The flier’s mother was surprised to hear there’s not much talk of politics or the war’s progress. “They’re there to serve the country, whatever they’re asked,” Vicki Parker said.
And when it’s over? Will she fly big commercial aircraft?
“It’s a good career, but that’s like driving a taxi,” Vicki Parker said. Dana would rather fly float planes in the San Juan Islands. “She’s more this adventuresome, outdoor person.”
Of course, that word again – adventure.
Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
