Class of: 1965
Brick: yes

I attended Stetson University, 1961-1965, on a Basketball / Baseball scholarship. During my freshman year “Doc” Johnson, the baseball coach, nicknamed me “Candy Bar” and that nickname has stuck with me to this day. I majored in Mathematics, with a minor in Chemistry & Physics thinking that I would teach and coach basketball at the high school level upon graduation. At the encouragement of the Sigma Nu Fraternity, I enrolled in Stetson’s ROTC program. It was considered an easy way to earn quality points. I continued in the ROTC program, was offered a “Regular Army Commission” upon graduation, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army’s Field Artillery, 31 June 1965. I accepted the “Regular Army Commission” in order to have my first assignment be Germany. Needless to say, at this stage, I entered the Army on a “lark.” I attended the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, OK in October 1965. In January, 1966, I attended Jump School at Fort Benning. My first assignment was to the 1/5th Field Artillery (FA) Battalion (BN) in Babenhausen, GE. This assignment was originally scheduled for three years. After only 90 days, I received orders to Fort Campbell, KY. The Army was activating a Basic Training Unit at Fort Campbell, and they wanted to have lieutenants with “troop time.” The good news is that during my assignment at Fort Campbell, I met my future wife, Constance Lee Blair. We were married two weeks after my return from Vietnam in July, 1968. I reported to Vietnam and was assigned to the 2/33rd FA BN, 1st Infantry Division (1st ID), known as the Big Red One, in June 1967. During this assignment, I served as a Forward Observer (FO) with the 1/18th Infantry Battalion, Executive Officer B Battery, 2/33rd FA, and as Commander B Battery, 2/33rd FA. The 1st ID required that all FA Lieutenants first serve as an FO with the Infantry. The reason to have new FA lieutenants know firsthand what the FA provided to the Infantry and what that support meant to the Infantry. It was also a critical time to earn our “spurs” and gain acceptance with our infantry brethren. During this time, I participated in Air Assaults, Search and Destroy Missions, ambush patrols and MEDCAP (Medical Civil Action Program) actions providing medical care/assistance to local Vietnamese civilians. It was during these types of missions that our actions actually became personal to me. Most of our actions were completed with very little resistance. There were, however, times when things did get hot. These actions were very intense, but most lasted less than 30 minutes. I must admit, it seemed like a lot longer. It was only during TET of 1968 that we experienced engagements that went on for days at time. But even then, high intensity actions were generally of short duration. Many of the soldiers did use Marijuana during times of what we called Palace guard/down time. It was used by very few when we out on combat operations. Everyone wanted to be prepared and alert for any engagement that might come up. From my experience, you did not need to have marijuana to get “high.” Your adrenaline was pumping, and you were in somewhat of a “high” from the operations you were initiating or conducting. One never knew what might be around the corner, over the ridge or if an air assault landing zone (LZ) might become “hot.” For me, the year I spent in Vietnam was a year in which I grew up and matured. I also learned and honed the military skills required to survive and be a productive officer under combat conditions/operations. This year also provided the time to learn and codify the Field Artillery Basic Training I had received at Fort Sill, OK.

Following Vietnam, I served in the Army for another 27 years retiring, as the Commander of Fort Monroe, VA, with 30 years of service in June, 1995. Both of my sons (Christopher, 1993 and Jason, 1995) graduated from Stetson University. One of my last official acts as an Army Officer was to commission my youngest son, Jason Clark, into the Marines. This commissioning ceremony was conducted upon his graduation from Stetson University, at the Holler Fountain.

Following service in Vietnam I had a tour in Korea, and served in Germany for 11 years. Germany provided a unique experience as I started out there as a lieutenant pulling patrols on border between East and West Germany. I was there again in 1990, when the Warsaw Pact dissolved and Germany was reunited. This all happened without firing a shot in anger mainly due to the United States commitment and preparedness to support NATO and Germany. I remained in the Field Artillery and commanded FA units from Battery to Battalion and through Brigade. My military education included: The Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced courses, Army Airborne School, the Army Command and General Staff College, CGSC (the equivalent to receiving a masters) and the US Naval War College (equivalent to receiving a doctorate). My civilian education included: a BS in Mathematics from Stetson University, Deland, FL, 1965; an MBA (focus Operations Research/Systems Analysis, ORSA) from Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 1975; an MA, in International Relations from Salve Regina College, Newport RI, 1986, and an MA, National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, RI 1986. During my attendance at the Army CGSC, I became acquainted with Air Force Major Jerry Driscoll, who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1966. When captured, he was moved to the “Heartbreak Hotel” in Hanoi where his interrogation (and torture) began. Driscoll was a POW for the next seven years, and was released in Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He told our CGSC class that three things brought him through these trying times: a belief in God, Family and Nation. It was these three beliefs that provided his “core” values.

After my retirement, I continued to work for and supported the Department of Defense. I worked in support of and with the US Central Command (USCENTCOM), Tampa, FL. During the next 18 years, I saw, firsthand, U.S. and coalition operations in the Middle East. I traveled extensively through Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. There have been comparisons between actions in the Middle East and those taken during the Vietnam Conflict. From my experience at USCENTCOM and in the region, I find these comparisons very weak and forced. The objectives, mind set, and philosophy of the “threat” in this region is entirely different from what we encountered in previous wars and Vietnam. My thoughts on war and use of military force – military force does not answer the underlying political question nor does it provide a solution. It only identifies who is the biggest on the block and provides a pause in which political actions might be taken to resolve the conflicting interests. Clausewitz defined war “as the continuation of politics by other means.” From my experience, I would use of the questions raised in the “Powell Doctrine” in arriving at any decision to enter into war. His doctrine lists the following questions that should be answered positively before we enter into any “war”: “Is a vital national security interest threatened; have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted; do we have a clear attainable objective; is the action supported by the American people; is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement; have the consequences of our action been fully considered; have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed”. We did not consider these questions when we entered the Vietnam Conflict and as a result we won all of the “battles and lost the war.” I mentioned earlier the core beliefs/values that sustained Major Driscoll during his seven years as a POW, much in solitary confinement. All of us should have similar core values that will help us through those unexpected challenges/trials in which we have no one else to rely on except ourselves. They are not something that we develop overnight. For me, my core values came from my Christian upbringing, the family environment in which I grew up, my education at Stetson University, my formative years in Vietnam and my military experience.