World War II Honoree

Thomas L. Clark

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Sunburst, Montana

Honored By

Jerry Penry

RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT. SERVED AS P-47D ‘THUNDERBOLT’ FIGHTER PILOT, WHO WAS KILLED JULY 31, 1944 DURING A COMBAT TRAINING MISSION. HE WAS PART OF A FIVE P-47 FORMATION THAT HAD TAKEN-OFF FROM THE BRUNING, NEBRASKA ARMY AIR FIELD TO CONDUCT SIMULATED AERIAL ATTACKS UPON EACH OTHER. THE FIGHTER STALLED-OUT AND CRASHED DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE AFTER PULLING-UP FROM A STEEP DIVE AND WAS IN A CLIMBING MANEUVER. AFTER THE STALL, HE LOST CONTROL OF HIS AIRCRAFT AS IT DOVE TOWARD THE GROUND, CRASHING IN THE VICINITY OF POWELL, NEBRASKA. HE WAS FATALLY INJURED, AS HE WAS UNABLE TO BAIL OUT OF THE STRICKEN FIGHTER.