Edwin C. Parsons
| Edwin Charles Parsons | |
|---|---|
Edwin Charles Parsons, 1918
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Ted |
| Born |
September 24, 1892 Holyoke, Massachusetts |
| Died | May 2, 1968 (aged 75) Sarasota, Florida |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Section 30, Lot 1698 LH, |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
French Foreign Legion Aéronautique Militaire (France) Air Service, United States Army United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1915-1918 1934-1945 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Unit |
Aéronautique Militaire
|
| Battles/wars |
  World War I World War II Mexican Revolution |
| Awards |
Legion d'Honneur (France) Médaille militaire (France) Croix de guerre (France) Order of Leopold II (Belgium) Croix de Guerre (Belgium) |
| Other work | FBI agent, author, and naval officer |
Aéronautique Militaire
Edwin Charles Parsons (24 September 1892 – 2 May 1968) aka Ted Parsons, was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, and former French Foreign Legionnaire, flying ace, Hollywood aviation technical advisor, FBI Special Agent, and author.
Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Parsons graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1910 and after attending the University of Pennsylvania, moved to California where he learned to fly at Dominguez Field, Carson, in 1912, then spent 1913-1915 in the Mexican Army's Aviation Corps. At one point, Pancho Villa wanted him to train airmen; however, Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico scotched Parsons' interest.
Parsons was brevetted by Villa as a Captain at a salary of $200 per month, payable in gold. Parsons' attempt to teach some of Villa's cavalrymen to fly foundered on their lack of mechanical ability. Parsons also is reported to have been responsible for purchasing and later flying a Curtiss Model D two-seated pusher, as well as fetching needed parts from El Paso. Parsons departed as the Mexican Revolutionary movement split between Villa and Venustiano Carranza.
Thus Parsons was an experienced combat pilot when the war began. He went to France at the end of 1915. He served with the United States Ambulance service before enlisting in the French Foreign Legion. In 1916, he became a pilot in the Aéronautique Militaire (French Air Service) and, beginning in January 1917, he flew with the famed Lafayette Escadrille. He was credited with one victory and flew many times as Raoul Lufbery's wingman.
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