Billy Sparks was born on December 7, 1934, near Hardyville in Hart County, Kentucky. He was commissioned a 2d Lt through the Air Force ROTC Program at Indiana University in June 1957, going on active duty for pilot training on September 29, 1957. Lt Sparks next completed pilot training at Webb AFB, Texas, in December 1958, followed by F-100 Super Sabre Combat Crew Training at Luke AFB, Arizona, and at Nellis AFB, Nevada, from December 1958 to November 1959. His next assignment was as an F-100 and then F-105 Thunderchief pilot with the 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, West Germany, from November 1959 to November 1963. He then served as an F-105 Thunderchief pilot with the 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing at McConnell AFB, Kansas from November 1963 to May 1967, and during this time he deployed with his unit to Takhli Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, where he flew 63 combat missions between April and August 1965. Capt Sparks also attended the Fighter Weapons Instructor Course in 1966, and was the Top Gun Graduate in the F-105 at Nellis AFB. His next assignment was as an F-105D Thunderchief and F-105F Wild Weasel pilot and Flight Commander with the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing at Takhili Royal Thai AFB from May 1967 until he was forced to eject and was rescued on November 5, 1967. During this time he flew another 82 combat missions in Southeast Asia. His next assignment was as an F-105 Instructor Pilot with the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB from January 1968 to August 1969, and he then attended Canadian Armed Forces Staff College in Toronto, Canada, from August 1969 to September 1970. Lt Col Sparks served as an Exchange Officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he was a CF-104 Starfighter Instructor Pilot and Operations Officer with No. 421 Squadron, 1 Canadian Air Division, at CFB Baden-Soellingen, West Germany, from September 1970 to 1972. His next assignment was as Chief of Academics and as an F-105 and F-4 Phantom II Instructor Pilot at the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB from 1972 to 1974, followed by service as an F-4D pilot and Commander of the 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, South Korea, from June to November 1974. He then served as Deputy Base Commander at Kunsan AB from 1974 to 1975. His final assignment was with the Air Combat Evaluation/Air Intercept Evaluation Test Force at Nellis AFB from 1975 until his retirement from the Air Force on November 1, 1977. Lt Col Sparks had over 4,000 flying hours in the T-34, T-28, T-33, F-100, F-104, F-105, and F-4. Billy Sparks Flew West on May 10, 2013.

His 3rd Silver Star Citation reads:

For gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as an F-105 Pilot of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron, in action near Phuc Yen Airfield, North Vietnam, on 5 November 1967. On that date, after completing a highly successful bomb run on the largest maintenance hangar on the airfield, Captain Sparks' aircraft was hit by a barrage of 37/57 millimeter fire on egress from the target. Despite losing all his instruments and flying in an aircraft which was burning from cockpit to tail, Captain Sparks stayed with the aircraft and flew it over sixty miles until it finally went out of control and he was forced to eject over hostile territory, later being recovered by friendly forces. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Captain Sparks has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.