Sidney T. Clark
May 20, 2016
-
ISSUE:
- Veterans Hall of Fame
Sidney T. Clark was born in Beckley, West Virginia, but was raised in Columbus, Ohio, and the Bronx, New York. He joined the United States Marine Corps at the young age of 17 in an effort to escape New York’s extremely hard city life. Sergeant Clark’s service in the Marine Corps was during a time of peace; he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, with the Marine Reactionary Force traveling on the LST naval ship, going to different countries and performing various operations.
Sergeant Clark was also stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he worked on the fence line as Marine security. He then was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, where he was attached to Fox Company 2/2, serving nobly and bravely when the school bus was attacked at the Marine Barracks, Savannah Seca, Puerto Rico. The Company was sent from Camp Lejeune to Puerto Rico to hunt the terrorists who attacked a school bus. There, he was one of the NCOs who ran the night patrol up in the rainforests of Puerto Rico. Marines are often thought to be the bravest of the military elite. Always on the front lines, putting themselves in danger even at a time of peace. Sergeant Clark is a glowing example of a Marine’s readiness to step into battle to protect our nation’s safety and freedoms.
After Sergeant Clark’s 28 years of military service, he retired and returned to the Bronx. There, he began volunteering his time at the James J. Peters Bronx Veteran Medical Center. Sergeant Clark has received numerous awards for volunteerism in the Outreach Department, including honors for 3,000 hours of outstanding volunteer service in assisting veterans throughout the Bronx community and the surrounding counties. Sergeant Clark, like many veterans, understands that the war does not always end once they return home. He dedicates his life to helping his fellow veterans better assimilate to civilian life and understand their rights and the benefits that they are entitled to from the government they so courageously served.