Major General Frank Parker (September 21, 1872 – March 13, 1947) was a United States Army officer who had a distinguished military career spanning over forty years, which included service in the Spanish–American War and World War I. He served with distinction during the latter conflict, commanding a regiment, a brigade, and a division, and earning numerous decorations for gallantry in the process. His awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Star Citations, and numerous foreign decorations and civilian accolades. Early life Frank Parker was born September 21, 1872 in Georgetown County, South Carolina. He was descended from John Parker, Arthur Middleton, Thomas Heyward and John Rutledge. Parker attended the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He subsequently attended the United States Military Academy and graduated in 1894, after which he served in the Spanish–American War in 1898 and Puerto Rico from 1899 to 1900. He also served as an instructor at the United States Military Academy from 1900 to 1903. In 1904, Parker graduated from the Cavalry School in Saumur, France, and served as military attaché, Caracas, Venezuela, from 1904 to 1905, Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 1905 to 1906, and Cuba in 1906 to 1908. He was an instructor and organizer of cavalry in Cuba from 1909 to 1912. In 1912, Parker attended the École Supérieure de Guerre, France. He was a member of the Cavalry Board from 1913 to 1914. World War I Parker returned to the École Supérieure de Guerre from 1914 to 1915. He was a United States observer with French armies in field from 1916 to 1917, and then served as chief of American Military Mission at French General Headquarters. With the American entry into World War I in 1917, Parker was promoted to brigadier general and was the commander 18th Infantry and 1st Infantry Brigade and then was appointed commander, 1st Division, American Expeditionary Force, in October 1918. Post-war career Parker was recommended for promotion to major general by General John J. Pershing, but the Armistice stopped all promotions of general officers. In 1920, he graduated from the École Supérieure de Guerre, France and remained there as a professor while a student at the Centre des Hautes Études from 1920 to 1921. Then, he graduated and instructed at the Command and Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, in 1922, was graduate and instructor at the Army