Roy Parker Jr. earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and wrote for a number of newspapers, including Raleigh's News and Observer. In 1973 he became founding editor of the Fayetteville Times. Since 1993, Parker has written a weekly North Carolina military history column for the Fayetteville Observer-Times. He has served in a number of organizations, including the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association and the Airborne and Special Forces Museum Foundation. In 2006, Roy parker Jr. received the North Carolina Award for Public Service, the state's highest civilian honor.
