SSgt. Jacob Parkinson was born on an Air Force base in northern California, moved to Texas at age 4, joined the United States Marine Corps at age 21. While serving with India Co 3/5, a boat company, a then Sgt. Parkinson and fellow squad leader, each lost half their squads, during the April 8, 2000, MV-22 Osprey crash in Marana, Arizona; on the first use infantry deployment of the experimental aircraft. Sgt. Parkinson would go onto serve one combat tour to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq, dubbed: The Red Triangle; from 2004-2005 as an infantry squad leader, Bravo Co 1/23. At the time, Sgt. Parkinson and his squad, would stand defiantly against the enemy and the cowardice of their own platoon commander on the outskirts of Fallujah, zero-dark-thirty. That moment in time would seal the concrete bond formed by the Marines of 1st squad that lonely, infamous, November night for an eternity.
SSgt. Parkinson graduated company honorman from bootcamp (#1 out of 500), meritoriously promoted twice, recipient of several certificate of commendations and awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with ‘V’ for decisive actions taken towards the enemy during combat operations in the Anbar Province 2004. Upon leaving the Marines, SSgt. Parkinson used his military benefits to achieve a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island 2020.
