Lawrence C. Parry (Posthumously)

Lawrence “Larry” C. Parry of Baldwinsville was born and raised in Syracuse. He worked in farming before bravely enlisting in the United States Army in December 1939 at the age of 19. From Syracuse, he was sent to Fort Armstrong in Honolulu, Oahu for basic training and became skilled as an Army motor mechanic. Mr. Parry served from 1939 to 1942 and was honorably discharged with the rank of Technician Fourth Grade.

Sgt. Parry is a Pearl Harbor survivor. On December 7, 1941, he was playing football with some of his comrades when he looked to the sky and saw waves of Japanese planes overhead. Sgt. Parry vividly remembers seeing the death and destruction that would follow, as several U.S. battleships were destroyed during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. For his noble service, Sgt. Parry was awarded the American Defense Service Medal w/Bronze Star, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.

After his faithful discharge in December 1942, Sgt. Parry returned home to Syracuse, got married in 1944, and had two children, Susan and Frederick. Frederick also served in the military and earned the Purple Heart. Sgt. Parry continued to work as a mechanic in different Syracuse-area auto shops and always shared a zest for life with others.

Sgt. Parry has returned to Pearl Harbor multiple times to pay tribute to history. In 2016, he traveled to Hawaii to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor. A year later, on December 7, 2017, he was one of six WWII veterans who went to Washington, D.C. to be honored by President Donald Trump at a White House ceremony that proclaimed “National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.”

Sgt. Parry is a patriot who has served his country with honor and distinction and has contributed immensely to his Central New York community.