Family
In 1979 he married Rebecca Clare Wellings: they have two sons, one of whom, Harry, was seriously injured in July 2009 while serving as a captain with 4 Rifles in Afghanistan. Harry lost both legs after the patrol he was commanding ran over a roadside bomb. Parker later spoke about the aftermath of the incident, saying "it was pretty bad at that stage: they didn't know if Harry would survive or not. It helped being a soldier because all your training is about remaining as calm and calculating as you can in very difficult circumstances. But it was foul." Harry was injured shortly before Parker was due to take up the position of deputy commander of the International Security Assistance Force, but Parker took up the post on schedule, later saying in an interview "Harry would be horrified if I didn't go. He'd think I was a wimp".
Read more about this topic: Nick Parker
Famous quotes containing the word family:
“It is as when a migrating army of mice girdles a forest of pines. The chopper fells trees from the same motive that the mouse gnaws them,—to get his living. You tell me that he has a more interesting family than the mouse. That is as it happens.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Children should know there are limits to family finances or they will confuse “we can’t afford that” with “they don’t want me to have it.” The first statement is a realistic and objective assessment of a situation, while the other carries an emotional message.”
—Jean Ross Peterson (20th century)
“I worry about people who get born nowadays, because they get born into such tiny families—sometimes into no family at all. When you’re the only pea in the pod, your parents are likely to get you confused with the Hope Diamond. And that encourages you to talk too much.”
—Russell Baker (b. 1925)