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Recognizing the military service of men and women from Arenzville, Illinois.


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Howard Anderson
Gerald Beard
Albert Bridgeman
Charles Burrus
Edward Burrus
Jack Burrus
Kicky Charlesworth
William Charlesworth
Ralph Clark
Robert Clark
Kenneth Davis
Paul Dotzert
William Dotzert
Friedrich Engelbach
James Fischer
Lee Fox
Clyde Ginder
Ralph Ginder
Nathan Grant
Charles Ham
Herman Hendricker
John Herbert

Shirley Hierman
Harold Huppers
Gerald Jones
Lorenz Kleinschmidt
Walter Kleinschmidt
Louis Kloker
Glen Lovekamp
Floyd E. Musch
Albert Nicol
Leland Nicol
Wilbur Nicol
William Niemann
Earl Niestradt
Eldore Nobis
Melvin Nobis
Alvin Paul
Richard Peck

John Roegge
William Saylor
Floyd Schone
Wayne Schone
Francis Staake

Robert Stock
Warren Stock
Clifford Thomas
Wendell Wessler
Marlin Winkelman
Charles Witte
Robert Witte
Butch Zulauf
Malcolm Zulauf
Marvin Zulauf

Photos of others are welcome! Click here for more information.

  Robert D. Clark

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Robert D. Clark served as a naval aviator in the Pacific after enlisting in the U.S. Naval Reserves in October 1942. He completed pre-flight training at Athens, GA, and received his wings on April 16, 1944 in Pensacola. After undergoing training in night attack and combat tactics at Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Charlestown, RI, he reported for duty with the Pacific fleet in February 1945. He was assigned to the Fighter Squadron VF-87 based on the aircraft carrier the USS Ticonderoga. He was a pilot of the Grumman F6F-5N, or Hellcat.

He saw duty in the Philippines, Guam, and the Sea of Japan. He was in Tokyo Bay on the day of the surrender and was among the first servicemen to go ashore in Tokyo.

After being released from active duty in September 1945, he remained in the Reserves was recalled for duty in Korea in October 1951. However, because a cornpicker accident in 1948 severed the fingers on this right hand, he was granted a medical waiver and the Navy released him from active duty.

As a night fighter, Ens. Clark flew missions at night, taking off and returning to the carrier deck in total darkness. He once commented to Don Rhoads, that it was "the loneliest feeling in the world to be out over the Pacific, looking for your carrier."

Grumman F6F's (Hellcats) prepare to take off from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (Navy photo 80-G-305244).

 

USS Ticonderoga comes into harbor for repairs at Guam. (photo courtesy of Gene Loveland, member of VF-87).
 

U.S. Army helicopter comes on board the Ticonderoga (photo courtesy of Gene Loveland, member of VF-87).

Reproduced image of the squadron patch for VF-87, a leopard clutching a rocket. (Graphic image edited by Molly Daniel, after scanning in a very faded patch from her father's flight jacket.)

 

 


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Copyright 2005, Molly Daniel. This page last updated 11/16/2017.
If you have images or text to contribute to this website, please contact Molly at bestburgoo (at) outlook.com.