Airman First Class Parham was the tail gunner of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 730th Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bomber Wing. On 25 November 1951, while on a night intruder mission, the crew bailed out five miles northwest of Chorwon. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 28 February 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Parham was awarded the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.