Today, I salute World War II Veteran Johnie Ernest Clark. Johnie, born in Pittsburg, Kansas, is one of the 16.5 million Americans who served in World War II. He’s one of about 35,000 still alive. Like many, Johnie was 17 when he enlisted, though his papers said 18. Johnie went into the Navy because, as he joked, he didn’t want to dig foxholes. So, instead, he trained in naval aviation maintenance. As Johnie put it, it was his job to make sure the planes took off and landed safely. He climbed on board the USS Yorktown and headed into the Pacific to fight the Japanese. It was good mechanics like Johnie, who kept the mission going. The USS Yorktown earned 11 battle stars. Johnie received four of them and a Presidential Unit Citation. When asked what he was proud off he said, “I had a good family and grandkids.” Thank you for sharing your story, Johnie, and THANK YOU for your service.
