Voices of Veterans: Sergeant M.C. Clark Shares His Story of Service in the United States Army During WWII
ETR Staff Report
AUSTIN, Texas— Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is proud to introduce the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB’s Voices of Veterans oral history program. This week, we highlight the service of Sergeant (Sgt) M.C. Clark who served in United States Army during WWII.
Born and raised in Louisiana, Clark said he was already in the service when WWII started in December 1941 and was drafted in April of that year into the U.S. Army.
“It was a surprise to me,” Clark said about being drafted in April of 1941. “When they bombed Pearl Harbor, and war broke out, I knew then I didn’t have a choice to go, so I went.”
Clark said he attended basic training in Alexandria, Louisiana, and discussed his emotions upon arrival. “I was a little afraid and a little excited after I got in there.” Clark said that a few of the guys he entered basic training with were from various parts of the country but joked, “I got used to them.”
Clark said he got to choose what he wanted as his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and chose to be a truck driver.
“I just liked to drive and we had cars since I was a teenager, and I liked to drive, and they asked me if I wanted to drive and I told them I would,” Clark said about picking his MOS before being sent to join United States Army Quartermaster Corps. The Quartermasters Corps is the service’s oldest logistics branch which provides comprehensive, worldwide supply and field services support.
Clark said he didn’t stay stateside throughout the war, instead, he was sent overseas, landing in Glasgow, Scotland, where he stayed for a few days before leaving for Belfast, Ireland, where he also stayed for a few days. He wound up in England. First, he resided in Lichfield and then in Burton upon Trent, where he would stay “for the next 20 months.”
Following nearly two years in England, Clark was sent to a Belgium, which was a difficult place during the war, and transitioned from being a truck driver to a Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) guard of the Germans being held captive.
“We had 3,500 prisoners there,” Clark recalled. “I was on the front gate and we would let the Germans in and out to go on different work details.”
Clark said that for the most part, the German prisoners were well-behaved, and didn’t give him much trouble until “just before the war ended.”
To listen to Sgt. M.C. Clark tell his story, click the button below:
