Biography
Born on August 4th 1966, Daryl Parker was raised in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, where his lifelong love of the outdoors began. Growing up with a strong family emphasis on military service, by the age of seventeen he had enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Over the next twenty-one years, his duties took him to such far-away places as Peru, Japan, Morocco and the Arctic Circle. Fascinated with other cultures, Daryl learned to speak French, Spanish, and Arabic during his travels.
Highly decorated, Daryl was awarded nine personal awards, including two combat action ribbons, the Meritorious Service Medal, and achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3. His last assignment was at the National Security Agency, where he retired from active service in 2005.
After retiring from the military, Daryl became a police officer in July 2006, eventually settling in McKinney, Texas. In February 2009, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and participated in patrol, K-9, criminal investigations, and commanded the Special Response Team. In 2011, he accepted a position as the primary instructor at a regional police academy, where he continues to teach classes to both recruits and in-service officers.
A highly trained and skilled marksman, Daryl was selected from among 6,000 applicants as one of the final sixteen competitors on season two of the highly successful History Channel show, Top Shot. Daryl, the fan favorite, was eliminated in week 8 by Jay Lim.
Daryl is opening a gun range in North Texas in 2011 with Top Shot challenge courses and personal instruction from Top Shot alumni. Visit www.topshotchallenge.com for more information.
Daryl and his wife Jennifer have a total of five children and three dogs.
Sacrifice of the Season is Daryl Parker's debut novel, with his second work, Journey of Fear to be released in August, 2012.
