World War II Honoree

Joseph James 'Jocko' Clark

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Pryor Creek, Oklahoma

Honored By

Pearl Thomas

He was the first Native American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy. At the start of the war, he commanded the carrier Suwannee in the Atlantic Ocean and off the coast of North Africa. After taking command of the Yorktown, he was promoted to Rear Admiral, and Admiral Marc Mitscher made Yorktown his flagship. He was then assigned to command the carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) and commanded the group in the Marianas campaign. On multiple occasions his group was sent north to interdict Japanese aircraft being shuttled down from Japan. His air groups conducted attacks on shuttle points Chichi Jima and Iwo Jima. He participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Received the Presidential Unit Citation, WWII Victory Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one star, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with twelve stars, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one star.