Colonel William M. Parker commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1995. His command and staff assignments include service as a Platoon Leader, 1-2 ADA (Fort Bliss, Texas); Fire Direction Center Officer-in-Charge, 2-43 ADA (Fort Bliss, Texas and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia); Assistant Operations Officer and Battery Commander, 1-44 ADA (Fort Hood, Texas); Assistant Professor of Military Science, Clemson University (Clemson, South Carolina); Theater Access Control Officer, Multi-National Forces-Iraq (Baghdad, Iraq); Brigade Combat Team Chief of Operations, Iraqi Army Brigade Military Transition Team Chief, Brigade Special Troops Battalion Operations Officer, and Brigade Combat Team Read Detachment Commander, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) (Fort Campbell, Kentucky and Baghdad, Iraq); Plans and Policy Division Chief, HQDA DCS G-3/5/7, Air and Missile Defense Directorate (Pentagon, Virginia); Professor of Military Science, Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan); Commander, 5-52 ADA (Fort Bliss, Texas and Gaziantep, Turkey); and Commander's Initiatives Group Director and Chief of Staff, 94th AAAMDC (JBPH-H, Hawaii); Commander, 30th ADA Brigade (Fort Sill, Oklahoma); and Military Deputy to the Director, Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial System Office. Colonel Parker's civilian education includes a Baccalaureate of Science from the United States Military, a Masters of Arts in History from Clemson University, a Masters of Arts in Management from Webster University, a Masters of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College, and a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. His military education includes the Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Captains Career Course, the Air Command and Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. Awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (w/1 OLC), the Bronze Star (w/1 OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal (w/7 OLC), the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal (w/3 OLC), the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Army Superior Unit Award, the Combat Action Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.