Parlatore entered the Air Force in August 1966 and served for the next twenty-six years. As a member of the 391st Tactical Fighter Squadron at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base in Vietnam, he flew over 300 combat missions in the F‑4. He earned his Purple Heart after being shot down by anti‑aircraft fire while supporting a Special Forces camp under siege. He ejected at low altitude and high speed, sustaining multiple injuries before being rescued.
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