Sam E. Parish | |
|---|---|
 Parish c. 1983 | |
| Born | October 2, 1937 Marianna, Florida, US |
| Service/ | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1955–1986 |
| Rank | Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force |
| Awards | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Meritorious Service Medal (4) Air Force Commendation Medal |
Sam E. Parish (born October 2, 1937) is a retired Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Air Force who served as the 8th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 1983 to 1986.
Parish was born in Marianna, Florida, and attended Malone High School. He joined the United States Air Force in December 1954.
Following basic military training, Parish was assigned to Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, for training as a ground weather equipment operator where earned distinction as an honor graduate. His early assignments include Germany, Massachusetts, and Illinois. In March 1973, Parish graduated from the first class of the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Gunter Air Force Station, Alabama. One of his classmates was James M. McCoy, who in August 1979 would be appointed as one of Parish's predecessors as the sixth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. In August 1976, he began his third tour of duty in West Germany as sergeant major for the 36th Combat Support Group consolidated base personnel office at Bitburg Air Base, Germany. His career included tours as Senior Enlisted Advisor for 40th Air Division, US Air Forces in Europe, and Strategic Air Command.
Parish served as the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from August 1983 to June 1986.
| Personal decorations | |
 | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal |
  | Legion of Merit with bronze oak leaf cluster |
 | Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters |
 | Air Force Commendation Medal |
| Unit awards | |
   | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and silver oak leaf cluster |
| Service awards | |
 | Air Force Good Conduct Medal with silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters |
 | Army Good Conduct Medal |
| Campaign and service medals | |
 | National Defense Service Medal |
| Service, training, and marksmanship awards | |
 | Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters |
 | NCO Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon with two bronze oak leaf clusters |
 | Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon |
 | Air Force Training Ribbon |
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This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Air Force document: "Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Sam E. Parish biography".
