Free Republic

Fess Elisha Parker Jr. was born Aug. 16, 1924, in Fort Worth and grew up on farm near San Angelo, Texas. He was named after his father ("Fess" means "proud" in Old English). After graduating San Angelo High School he served in the U.S. Navy in World War II on board the USS Clay (APA-39) and participated in mopping-up operations in the Philippines aboard the USS YMS-334. Parker's height prevented him from entering Navy flight school. Then he tried for aviation radio gunners school in the Navy. "They threw me out because I was too big. They said, "You'll never...

March 6, 1836: A massacre of Americans at the Mexican Army's hands made "Remember the Alamo" an immortal Texan battle cry. But is this history viewed through an American lens? With distance from the heat of battle, a Mexican version of the controversy emerges. What caused Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett to run from their pasts to become heroes in death? How did a struggle for independence become a race war? In this 2-hour investigation, we expose new evidence in this grand victory with a dark secret. TV PG