<p align="left">
<em>John James “J.J.” Clark</em> was born in Los Angeles, CA, the son and only child of Thomas Emmett Clark and Margaret Evelyn Linden. His father was a pharmacist, his mother a former U.S. Army nurse.</p>
<p align="left">
J.J. lived in his birthplace through World War II. After the war, his family moved to Ojai, CA. There he was an excellent student and swimmer, graduating from Nordhoff Union High School in 1950.</p>
<p align="left">
In March 1951 he enlisted in the Air Force, completing basic training at Mather Air Force Base, CA. He subsequently attended the USMA Preparatory School at Stewart AFB, NY, where beneath his picture in the yearbook the caption reads “The Red-Headed Shark.” J.J. entered West Point on an appointment from Congressman Ernest Bramblett of California’s 11th District.</p>
<p align="left">
As a cadet, J.J. was a member of the Debate Council and Forum, a delegate to SCUSA VII, and active in the Fishing and Ski clubs and the Dialectic Society. As a First Classman he was a cadet captain and G-1 company commander.</p>
<p align="left">
Wrote his classmates in the <em>Howitzer </em>yearbook, “To step among the ranks of those who will lead others in life is a hard thing to accomplish for most, yet quite a natural thing for a few. Jack has shown himself to be one of these few. ‘A Maximum of Efficiency with a Minimum of Effort,’ he once used to praise a classmate. Indeed these words are equally suited to himself.” Later a companymate wrote in memoriam: “We in G-1 recognized J.J. as a man of principle with great energy, determination, courage and a finely honed fighting spirit.”</p>
<p align="left">
Shortly after graduation J.J. married Rita d’Escoto in Rome, where her father was the Nicaraguan Ambassador to Italy and the Holy See. Their wedding was described as the social event of the season. Together they had six children—a son Michael, twin daughters Sofia and Margaret, son John, daughter Rita, and son Patrick. Later there were 10 grandchildren.</p>
<p align="left">
Upon graduation J.J. was commissioned in the Infantry. After branch and airborne training at Fort Benning, GA, he attended Ranger School, where he and classmate Bud Lewis were Ranger buddies. When they were getting ready to go on patrol, Bud remembered, they used to anticipate when in the operation order they would hear “Lewis and Clark will take the point.”</p>
<p align="left">
J.J. went for his first troop assignment to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. During 1959-62 he was with the 8th Infantry Division’s airborne element in Mainz, Germany.</p>
<p align="left">
In 1963 he attended the Armor Officer Advanced Course at Fort Knox, KY, then joined the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, subsequently deploying with that outfit to Vietnam, where he was stationed in the Central Highlands working with Montagnard tribesmen.</p>
<p align="left">
Back Stateside in 1965, J.J. was again with Special Forces at Fort Bragg, then served in the Pentagon and attended the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, VA.</p>
<p align="left">
In March 1969 J.J. returned for a second Vietnam tour, assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade as the S3. In March 1970, voluntarily extending his Vietnam tour to do so, he took leave with his family, was frocked to lieutenant colonel, and on April 9 assumed command of the brigade’s 3rd Battalion, 503rd Infantry.</p>
<p align="left">
On June 2, 1970, J.J. was killed in action when his command helicopter was hit by enemy fire near Bong Son. That disaster was described in our <em>50th Reunion Yearbook</em>, including a montage of admiring comments about J.J. from his troops: “Although he was quickly evacuated to the hospital facility near LZ English and received emergency medical care there, J.J. succumbed to his wounds. Officers and men with whom he served remembered him as ‘a go-getter, a true leader of men, an excellent commander, someone truly admired whose death had a big impact on their lives, a brave commander who cared for his men, someone who was at the front and where he wanted to be, a fine man, an outstanding officer, and a professional soldier who always upheld the honor and traditions of the Long Gray Line.’”</p>
<p align="left">
J.J.’s death brought a deep sense of loss to the brigade—he was so well-known, respected, and liked. A memorial service was conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Hessian, later the Army’s Chief of Chaplains. Classmate Charlie Prather escorted J.J.’s body home. He was the last man from our class to be lost in Vietnam.</p>
<p align="left">
J.J. was repeatedly decorated for bravery and service, including the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals, four Air Medals, two Army Commendation Medals, and the Purple Heart.</p>
<p align="left">
Later a soldier who had been in the helicopter with J.J. came to visit Rita and the six kids. He told them how J.J. had some of his soldiers “raid” a supply of apples, a rare treat from home, being held for senior officers. One of the soldiers asked, “Colonel, but aren’t those for the generals?” J.J. asked in return, “What does it say on those crates?” It said, “U.S. Army.” Then J.J. asked, “What does it say on your uniform?” “U.S. Army.” J.J: “They’re for you.” Decades later J.J.’s daughter Margaret remembered that anecdote as evidence of what a “soldier’s soldier” her dear father had been.</p>
<p align="left">
Classmates Charlie Bagnal and Charlie Prather collaborated on an article honoring J.J. Their concluding comment: “J.J. made a positive difference in people’s lives and served God well in doing this.”</p>
<p align="left">
J.J. Clark was a superb soldier, one of the most admired and respected members of his class, a fine man taken from us far too soon. May he rest in peace.</p>
<p align="left">
<em>— Classmates and Family </em></p>