Back Mark Wayne Clark Afrikaans مارك وين كلارك Arabic مارك وين كلارك ARZ Марк Кларк Bulgarian Mark Wayne Clark Catalan Mark W. Clark Czech Mark Wayne Clark Danish Mark W. Clark German Μαρκ Γουέιν Κλαρκ Greek Mark Wayne Clark Esperanto
Mark W. Clark | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Clark in 1945 | |
| Nickname(s) | "American Eagle" "Wayne" "Contraband" (while at West Point)[1] |
| Born | 1 May 1896 Madison Barracks, Sackets Harbor, New York, U.S. |
| Died | 17 April 1984 (aged 87) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Buried | The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1953 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | 0–5309 |
| Unit | Infantry Branch |
| Commands | United Nations Command Sixth United States Army 15th Army Group Seventh United States Army Fifth United States Army II Corps 3rd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal (4) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart |
| Spouse(s) |
Maurine Doran
(m. 1924; died 1966) |
| Other work | The Citadel, President |
Mark Wayne Clark (1 May 1896 – 17 April 1984) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He was the youngest four-star general in the US Army during World War II.
During World War I, he was a company commander and served in France in 1918, as a 22-year-old captain, where he was seriously wounded by shrapnel. After the war, the future US Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall, noticed Clark's abilities.[2] During World War II, he commanded the United States Fifth Army, and later the 15th Army Group, in the Italian campaign. He is known for leading the Fifth Army when it captured Rome in June 1944, around the same time as the Normandy landings. He was also the head of planning for Operation Torch, the largest seaborne invasion at the time.[3]
On 10 March 1945, at the age of 48, Clark became one of the youngest American officers promoted to the rank of four-star general.[4] Dwight D. Eisenhower, a close friend, considered Clark to be a brilliant staff officer and trainer of men.[5]
Throughout his thirty-six years of military service, Clark was awarded many medals, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the US Army's second-highest decoration, being the most notable.
A legacy of the "Clark Task Force," which he led from 1953 to 1955 to review and to make recommendations on all federal intelligence activities, is the term "intelligence community."[6]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Atkinson_p44was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "General Mark Clark", www.historylearningsite.co.uk
- ^ Holland, James (2023). The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943. Atlantic Monthly Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-8021-6160-4.
- ^ "Biography of General Mark Wayne Clark (1896–1984), USA". generals.dk.
- ^ From Salerno to Rome: General Mark W. Clark and the Challenges of Coalition Warfare, archived from the original on 17 July 2011, retrieved 7 May 2009 Abstract of master's thesis
- ^ Michael Warner; Kenneth McDonald. "US Intelligence Community Reform Studies Since 1947" (PDF). CIA. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2014.