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{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Herbert V. Clark|timestamp=20211024053929|year=2021|month=October|day=24|substed=yes}}
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{{short description|American fighter pilot}}
{{short description|American fighter pilot}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Major]]
| honorific_prefix = [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| name = Herbert V. Clark
| name = Herbert V. Clark
| honorific_suffix =
| honorific_suffix =
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|image_size = 150px
|image_size = 150px
| alt =
| alt =
| caption = Herbert V. Clark - 1955
| caption = Herbert V. Clark – 1955
| birth_date = {{birth date|1919|03|16}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1919|03|16}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|01|25|1919|03|16}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|01|25|1919|03|16}}
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| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| alma_mater =
| alma_mater =
| nickname =
| nickname = Bud
| birth_name = Herbert V. Clark
| birth_name = Herbert V. Clark
| allegiance = [[United States of America]]
| allegiance = [[United States of America]]
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}}
}}


'''Herbert Vanallen Clark''' (March 16, 1919 – January 25, 2003) was a [[U.S. Army Air Force]]/[[U.S. Air Force]] officer, and combat fighter pilot with the all-[[African American]] [[332nd Fighter Group]], best known as the [[Tuskegee Airmen]]. In 1944, Clark's aircraft was shot down over [[Italy]] but he survived to rejoin his unit.
'''Herbert Vanallen Clark''' (March 16, 1919 – January 25, 2003){{WIA}} was a [[U.S. Army Air Force]]/[[U.S. Air Force]] officer, and combat fighter pilot. He first served in combat with the all-[[African American]] [[332nd Fighter Group]] in World War II, best known as the [[Tuskegee Airmen]]. He completed two tours of duty, completing ten missions on his second tour. In 1944, Clark's aircraft was shot down over [[Italy]], and was reported as missing in action. He was picked up by the [[Italian resistance movement|Italian resistance]], evading enemies for eight months before rejoining his unit. He retired with a rank of major.


==Early life, family==
==Early life, family==
Clark was born on March 16, 1919, in [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas]], [[Jefferson County, Arkansas]].<ref name="Arkansas">{{cite web|url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/original-tuskegee-airmen-5430/|title=Original Tuskegee Airmen|publisher=[[Central Arkansas Library System]] |work=[[Encyclopedia of Arkansas]]|accessdate=19 September 2021}}</ref>
Clark was born on March 16, 1919, in [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas]], [[Jefferson County, Arkansas]].<ref name="Arkansas">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/original-tuskegee-airmen-5430/|title=Original Tuskegee Airmen|publisher=[[Central Arkansas Library System]] |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Arkansas]]|accessdate=19 September 2021}}</ref> His mother was a high school [[mathematics]] teacher and his father, Jeremiah Clark, was the pastor of the St. Paul's Baptist Church.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Foster|first=Henry W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iyvnwd0WpucC&pg=PA36|title=Make a Difference: The Founder of the "I Have a Future Program" Shares His Vision for Young America|date=2003-07-28|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-5985-9|language=en}}</ref>


==Military career==
==Military career==
In 1942, he signed up for the U.S. government's [[Civilian Pilot Training Program]] (CPTP). After completing the CPTP, he entered basic training. Clark attended the Tuskegee Cadet Pilot program, graduating from its Single Engine Section Class SE-42-F on 3 July 1942 and receiving his wings and commission as a [[2nd Lieutenant]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Horman|first1=Lynn|last2=Reilly|first2=Thomas|title=Black Knights: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen|publisher=[[Pelican Publishing]]|year=2001|isbn=9781455601257|page=68}}</ref> He was then assigned to the 332rd Fighter Group's [[99th Pursuit Squadron]].<ref name="Arkansas"/> On 5 November 1943 he completed his first combat tour.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stentiford|first=Barry|title=Tuskegee Airmen |location=Santa Barbara, California|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]], [[Greenwood Publishing]]|year=2012|isbn=9780313386848|page=74}}</ref> He was then stationed at [[Selfridge Air National Guard Base|Selfridge]], Michigan where he became a flight instructor for the [[553d Fighter-Bomber Squadron]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]|title=Fighter and Bombardment Units Readied for Action |at=photo caption|author=Jean Pearson|date=2 April 1944|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87698544/complete/|access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref>
In 1942, he signed up for the U.S. government's [[Civilian Pilot Training Program]] (CPTP). After completing the CPTP, he entered basic training. Clark attended the Tuskegee Cadet Pilot program, graduating from its Single Engine Section Class SE-42-F on 3 July 1942 and receiving his wings and commission as a [[2nd Lieutenant]].<ref name=":1">{{cite book|last1=Horman|first1=Lynn|last2=Reilly|first2=Thomas|title=Black Knights: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen|publisher=[[Pelican Publishing]]|year=2001|isbn=9781455601257|page=68}}</ref> He was then assigned to the 332rd Fighter Group's [[99th Pursuit Squadron]].<ref name="Arkansas"/><ref name=training>{{cite journal | title=The World War II Training Experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen at Oscoda Army Air Field |first=David K. |last=Vaughan |journal=Air Power History |publisher=Air Force Historical Foundation |volume=64 |number=4|date=Winter 2016 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26276812 |page=39 |jstor=26276812 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He participated in several missions around Sicily, including [[Pantelleria]] and [[Sciacca]].<ref name=":1" /> By 5 November 1943, he completed his first combat tour and returned to the United States.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stentiford|first=Barry|title=Tuskegee Airmen |location=Santa Barbara, California|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]], [[Greenwood Publishing]]|year=2012|isbn=9780313386848|page=74}}</ref><ref name=Caver>{{cite book|last1=Caver|first1=Joseph|last2=Ennels|first2=Jerome|last3=Haulman|first3=Daniel|publisher=[[NewSouth Books]]|title=The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949|year=2011|isbn=9781588382443|url=https://archive.org/details/tuskegeeairmenil0000cave/page/178/mode/2up}}</ref>{{rp|165}} Along with other veterans of the 99th Squadron, he declined to return with the 332nd when it left for Italy on December 24, 1943; fellow veteran [[Charles W. Dryden]] attributed this to low morale in his memoir.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dryden |first=Charles W.|year=1997|title=A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman|publisher=University of Alabama Press|url=http://archive.org/details/atrainmemoirsoft0000dryd |access-date=2021-11-06|isbn=978-0-8173-0856-8}}</ref> Clark was stationed at [[Selfridge Air National Guard Base|Selfridge]], Michigan where he became a flight instructor for the [[553d Fighter-Bomber Squadron]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]|title=Fighter and Bombardment Units Readied for Action |at=photo caption|author=Jean Pearson|date=2 April 1944|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87698544/complete/|access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref><ref name=training />


Clark began a second combat tour in Europe, during which he completed ten missions.<ref name=15AAF>{{cite news |agency=Fifteenth AAF in Italy |title=Missing Nine Months, Vet Pilot Turns Up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50340030/herbert-v-bud-clark-1945/|access-date=9 November 2021 |work=[[Pittsburgh Courier]]|date=30 June 1945|via=Newspapers.com |page=2}}</ref> On 16 August 1944, Clark's aircraft was shot down by flak {{convert|1.5|mi}} north of [[Miane]], [[Italy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tuskegee.edu/Content/Uploads/Tuskegee/files/332dFighterGroupMissingCrew.pdf|title=Table of 332D Fighter Group Reported Fighter Aircraft Losses According To Missing Air Crew Reports February 1944-April 1945|first=Dr. Daniel L.|last=Haulman|publisher=Air Force Historical Research Organization |page=2}}</ref> He was seen parachuting from his burning aircraft,<ref name=":0" /> and was listed as missing in action.<ref name=15AAF/> He suffered a head wound when he struck a tree parachuting to the ground, and was immediately picked up by the [[Italian resistance movement|Italian resistance]] who sheltered him for eight months.<ref name=15AAF/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/TuskegeeAirmenChronology/page/n61/mode/2up|title=Tuskegee Airmen Chronology|last=Haulman|first=Daniel L.|publisher=Air Force Historical Research Agency|page=61|year=2010}}</ref> During his time with the resistance, Clark led a group of partisans attacking German positions in northern Italy.<ref name =Chron>{{Cite report |url=https://tuskegeeairmen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TAI_Resources_TUSKEGEE-AIRMEN-CHRONOLOGY.pdf |title=Tuskegee Airmen Chronology |last=Haulman |first=Daniel L. |date=11 May 2016 |publisher=Organizational History Branch Air Force Historical Research Agency}}</ref>{{rp|130}} On 4 May 1945 he returned to Allied lines.<ref name=Caver/> According to the [[Fifteenth Air Force|Fifteenth Army Air Force]], "nothing short of pandemonium would describe the reactions ... when everyone realized that the group's own 'Bud Clark' had actually returned".<ref name=15AAF/>
The [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas]] claims that he was one of the first black pilots to have an aerial victory over a [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]].<ref name="Arkansas"/> However the [[Air Force Historical Research Agency]] has no record of Clark scoring any aerial victories.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/AFD-141118-043.pdf|title=The Legend of the African American Ace|author=Dr. Daniel L. Haulman|publisher=Air Force Historical Research Agency|accessdate=25 October 2021}}</ref>


Clark retired with the rank of major.<ref name="Arkansas"/>
On August 16, 1944, Clark's aircraft was shot down {{convert|1.5|mi}} north of [[Miane]], [[Italy]], breaking the aircraft's oil line.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tuskegee.edu/Content/Uploads/Tuskegee/files/332dFighterGroupMissingCrew.pdf|title=Table of 332D Fighter Group Reported Fighter Aircraft Losses According To Missing Air Crew Reports February 1944-April 1945|author=Dr. Daniel L. Haulman|publisher=Air Force Historical Research Agency}}</ref> He evaded capture and on 4 May 1945 he returned to Allied lines.<ref name=Warbird>{{cite web|url=http://www.archive.warbirdinformationexchange.org/archives/post23418.html|title=A man who did what he thought was right: Story of Herbert Clark, Tuskegee Airmen|publisher=Warbird Information Exchange|accessdate=19 September 2021}}</ref>{{unreliable source|date=October 2021}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Caver|first1=Joseph|last2=Ennels|first2=Jerome|last3=Haulman|first3=Daniel|publisher=[[NewSouth Books]]|title=The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949|year=2011|isbn=9781588382443|page=178}}</ref>


==Awards==
==Awards==
*[[Congressional Gold Medal]] awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006<ref name="Public">{{cite web|title=Public Law 109–213—APR. 11, 2006 Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen|url=https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ213/PLAW-109publ213.pdf|website=Congress.gov|publisher=US Library of Congress|date=11 April 2006|access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>
*[[Congressional Gold Medal]] awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006<ref name="Public">{{cite web|title=Public Law 109–213—APR. 11, 2006 Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen|url=https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ213/PLAW-109publ213.pdf|website=Congress.gov|publisher=US Library of Congress|date=11 April 2006|access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>


==Death==
==Death and influence==
Clark died on January 25, 2003, at the age of 83. He was interred at the Westview Cemetery in [[Blacksburg, Virginia]], [[Montgomery County, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Westview Cemetery Blacksburg Virginia |url=https://www.webgis.net/va/Blacksburg/WestviewCemetery/?plotid=AA-188-01|publisher=Town of Blacksburg, VA|access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref>
Clark died on January 25, 2003, at the age of 83. He was interred at the Westview Cemetery in [[Blacksburg, Virginia]], [[Montgomery County, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Westview Cemetery Blacksburg Virginia |url=https://www.webgis.net/va/Blacksburg/WestviewCemetery/?plotid=AA-188-01|publisher=Town of Blacksburg, VA|access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref> The Fifteenth Army Air Force reported that Clark had innovated as a pilot by landing his [[P-40 Warhawk]] on one wheel while returning from a dive bombing mission over the [[Anzio Beachhead]].<ref name=15AAF/> Dr. [[Henry Foster (doctor)|Henry Foster]] knew Clark as a child and was influenced by his war stories, pursuing work at an air force base and learning to fly. When he realized that none of the Tuskegee Airmen could find work with the U.S. [[airline]]s due to their practice of hiring only white pilots, Foster abandoned his goal of studying aeronautical engineering and decided to focus on medicine, later serving as a doctor at the [[Tuskegee Institute]] for eight years.<ref name=":0" />


==See also==
== See also ==
{{Portal|Biography|Aviation}}
{{Portal|Biography|Aviation}}
* [[Executive Order 9981]]
* [[Executive Order 9981]]
Line 69: Line 65:
* [[List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes]]
* [[List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes]]
* [[Military history of African Americans]]
* [[Military history of African Americans]]
* [[Fly (play)]] (2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)


== References ==
== References ==
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*[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63111345/herbert-vanallen-clark Major Herbert Vanallen Clark] at [[Find a Grave]]
*[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63111345/herbert-vanallen-clark Major Herbert Vanallen Clark] at [[Find a Grave]]
*[https://www.geni.com/people/Herbert-V-Clark/6000000000402124181 Major Herbert Vanallen Clark at Geni]
*[https://www.geni.com/people/Herbert-V-Clark/6000000000402124181 Major Herbert Vanallen Clark at Geni]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131204121846/http://www.tuskegee.edu/about_us/legacy_of_fame/tuskegee_airmen.aspx Tuskegee Airmen] at [[Tuskegee University]]
* [http://tuskegeeairmen.org/ Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.]
* [http://www.nps.gov/tuai/index.htm Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site] ([[U.S. National Park Service]])
* [http://www.tuskegeeairmennationalmuseum.org/ Tuskegee Airmen National Museum]


{{Tuskegee Airmen}}
{{Tuskegee Airmen}}
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[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American military personnel]]

Latest revision as of 17:41, 2 August 2024

Major

Herbert V. Clark
Herbert V. Clark – 1955
Birth nameHerbert V. Clark
Nickname(s)Bud
Born(1919-03-16)March 16, 1919
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, US
DiedJanuary 25, 2003(2003-01-25) (aged 83)
Blacksburg, Virginia, US
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branch
Years of service1942–1955
RankMajor
Unit332nd Fighter Group
Awards

Herbert Vanallen Clark (March 16, 1919 – January 25, 2003) (WIA) was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer, and combat fighter pilot. He first served in combat with the all-African American 332nd Fighter Group in World War II, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He completed two tours of duty, completing ten missions on his second tour. In 1944, Clark's aircraft was shot down over Italy, and was reported as missing in action. He was picked up by the Italian resistance, evading enemies for eight months before rejoining his unit. He retired with a rank of major.

Early life, family

[edit]

Clark was born on March 16, 1919, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Jefferson County, Arkansas.[1] His mother was a high school mathematics teacher and his father, Jeremiah Clark, was the pastor of the St. Paul's Baptist Church.[2]

Military career

[edit]

In 1942, he signed up for the U.S. government's Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). After completing the CPTP, he entered basic training. Clark attended the Tuskegee Cadet Pilot program, graduating from its Single Engine Section Class SE-42-F on 3 July 1942 and receiving his wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.[3] He was then assigned to the 332rd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron.[1][4] He participated in several missions around Sicily, including Pantelleria and Sciacca.[3] By 5 November 1943, he completed his first combat tour and returned to the United States.[5][6]: 165  Along with other veterans of the 99th Squadron, he declined to return with the 332nd when it left for Italy on December 24, 1943; fellow veteran Charles W. Dryden attributed this to low morale in his memoir.[7] Clark was stationed at Selfridge, Michigan where he became a flight instructor for the 553d Fighter-Bomber Squadron.[8][4]

Clark began a second combat tour in Europe, during which he completed ten missions.[9] On 16 August 1944, Clark's aircraft was shot down by flak 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Miane, Italy.[10] He was seen parachuting from his burning aircraft,[2] and was listed as missing in action.[9] He suffered a head wound when he struck a tree parachuting to the ground, and was immediately picked up by the Italian resistance who sheltered him for eight months.[9][11] During his time with the resistance, Clark led a group of partisans attacking German positions in northern Italy.[12]: 130  On 4 May 1945 he returned to Allied lines.[6] According to the Fifteenth Army Air Force, "nothing short of pandemonium would describe the reactions ... when everyone realized that the group's own 'Bud Clark' had actually returned".[9]

Clark retired with the rank of major.[1]

Awards

[edit]

Death and influence

[edit]

Clark died on January 25, 2003, at the age of 83. He was interred at the Westview Cemetery in Blacksburg, Virginia, Montgomery County, Virginia.[14] The Fifteenth Army Air Force reported that Clark had innovated as a pilot by landing his P-40 Warhawk on one wheel while returning from a dive bombing mission over the Anzio Beachhead.[9] Dr. Henry Foster knew Clark as a child and was influenced by his war stories, pursuing work at an air force base and learning to fly. When he realized that none of the Tuskegee Airmen could find work with the U.S. airlines due to their practice of hiring only white pilots, Foster abandoned his goal of studying aeronautical engineering and decided to focus on medicine, later serving as a doctor at the Tuskegee Institute for eight years.[2]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Original Tuskegee Airmen". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Foster, Henry W. (2003-07-28). Make a Difference: The Founder of the "I Have a Future Program" Shares His Vision for Young America. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-5985-9.
  3. ^ a b Horman, Lynn; Reilly, Thomas (2001). Black Knights: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen. Pelican Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 9781455601257.
  4. ^ a b Vaughan, David K. (Winter 2016). "The World War II Training Experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen at Oscoda Army Air Field". Air Power History. 64 (4). Air Force Historical Foundation: 39. JSTOR 26276812.
  5. ^ Stentiford, Barry (2012). Tuskegee Airmen. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Greenwood Publishing. p. 74. ISBN 9780313386848.
  6. ^ a b Caver, Joseph; Ennels, Jerome; Haulman, Daniel (2011). The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949. NewSouth Books. ISBN 9781588382443.
  7. ^ Dryden, Charles W. (1997). A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-8173-0856-8. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  8. ^ Jean Pearson (2 April 1944). "Fighter and Bombardment Units Readied for Action". Detroit Free Press. photo caption. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Missing Nine Months, Vet Pilot Turns Up". Pittsburgh Courier. Fifteenth AAF in Italy. 30 June 1945. p. 2. Retrieved 9 November 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Haulman, Dr. Daniel L. "Table of 332D Fighter Group Reported Fighter Aircraft Losses According To Missing Air Crew Reports February 1944-April 1945" (PDF). Air Force Historical Research Organization. p. 2.
  11. ^ Haulman, Daniel L. (2010). "Tuskegee Airmen Chronology". Air Force Historical Research Agency. p. 61.
  12. ^ Haulman, Daniel L. (11 May 2016). Tuskegee Airmen Chronology (PDF) (Report). Organizational History Branch Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  13. ^ "Public Law 109–213—APR. 11, 2006 Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen" (PDF). Congress.gov. US Library of Congress. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Westview Cemetery Blacksburg Virginia". Town of Blacksburg, VA. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
[edit]
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