Clark, Mark Wayne, 1896-1984

Mark Wayne Clark (1896-1984) was born in Madison Barracks, New York. After he graduated from West Point in 1917, he commissioned in the infantry. During World War I, he became wounded in combat while commanding a battalion in France. He served with the War Department General Staff from 1921 to 1924. He graduated from the Command and General Staff School in 1935 and the Army War College two years later. Between 1940 and 1942, he served at General Headquarters and then Army Ground Forces. He rose through the ranks to brigadier general in August 1941, major general in April 1942, and lieutenant general in November 1942. During World War II, his positions included commander of the I Corps, from July to October 1942, deputy commander of Allied Forces in North Africa, from November 1942 to January 1943, and commander of the Fifth Army Group, from December 1944 to June 1945. The Army promoted him to the rank of general in March 1945 and appointed him Allied High Commissioner for Austria in the same year. Between 1947 and 1952, he served as commanding general of the Sixth Army and then commander of Army Field Forces. During the Korean War, he was Commander in Chief of the United Nations Command in Korea, from 1952 to 1953. He retired from active duty in 1953. From 1954 to 1960, he was president of The Citadel. He wrote and published two books, Calculated Risk (1950) and From the Danube to the Yalu (1954). His awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, four Distinguished Service Medals, the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.