World War II Honoree

Carl Clark

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Menlo Park, California

Honored By

Friends of American Heroes

HE PROUDLY SERVED IN THE U.S. NAVY AS AN E-6 STEWARD ABOARD THE DESTROYER USS AARON WARD. THE SHIP WAS ATTACKED BY JAPANESE KAMIKAZE’S IN MAY OF 1945. SIX KAMIKAZE’S HIT THE DESTROYER WITH ONE BLAST SO POWERFUL THAT IT KNOCKED HIM ACROSS THE DECK. HE SUFFERED A BROKEN COLLARBONE BUT STILL SAVED THE LIVES OF SEVERAL CREWMEN BY DRAGGING THEM TO SAFETY. HE ALSO PUT OUT A FIRE IN THE AMMUNITION LOCKER THAT WOULD HAVE SPLIT THE SHIP IN HALF. SIXTY SIX YEARS LATER HE WAS AWARDED FOR HIS HEROISM WITH THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS COMMENDATION MEDAL WITH DISTINGUISHED COMBAT DEVICE.