It is very telling what the US military’s own press releases will not say. A recent award ceremony gave a Silver Star to Lt. Col. William Parks for gallantry during missions in early 2025. The official story describes a fifteen minute life or death struggle where he performed high G maneuvers to evade missiles that were detonating feet from his aircraft. He is credited with six aerial victories and personally defending against five surface to air missile engagements, all while preventing the loss of two other US jets.

“For 15 minutes, with enemy missiles detonating mere feet from his aircraft, Parks led his flight through a serious of high-G maneuvers and countermeasure employment” and coordinated the emergency deployment of tankers, which “prevented the probable loss of two aircraft due to fuel starvation.”

Parks was “Parks has been credited with six aerial victories protecting the lives of more than 5,000 Sailors aboard the USS Harry S. Truman” carrier, and “personally defended against five deadly surface-to-air missile engagements targeting his aircraft.”

The curious part they completely omit is who he was fighting. The release does not mention Yemen, the Red Sea, Ansar Allah, or the Houthis. The only clue is that his deployment supported Operations Prosperity Guardian and Rough Rider, the twin US campaigns against Yemen.