Wesley Clark
Wesley Kanne Clark (born
December 23,
1944) is a retired
four-star general in the
U.S. Army. As the
Supreme Allied Commander Europe of
NATO from 1997 to 2000, Clark commanded
Operation Allied Force in the
Kosovo conflict. Before this, he had a distinguished career in the Army and the
Department of Defense. Clark received many
military decorations over the course of his career. He was a candidate for the
Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2004, but withdrew from the Democratic primary race on
February 11 and continued to actively campaign for eventual Democratic presidential nominee
John Kerry, as well as many Democratic Congressional candidates across the country. Currently, Clark leads
WesPAC, a
political action committee formed after the
2004 Democratic Primaries. Due to his grassroots support from the internet[
1], and potential cross-party appeal for the general election, Clark is considered a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in
2008. He is fluent in four languages: English, Spanish, German, and Russian.
There are two roads named after Wesley Clark. The people of Djakovica, Kosovo, named their main street after him for his role in helping to end ethnic cleansing in their city and saving the lives of their people.[
2] The people of the U.S. State of Alabama, a Republican-leaning southern state which is not his home state, named a boulevard after him in the city of Madison, Alabama, in recognition of his military service and southern heritage.
Besides his many military decorations (both
foreign and
domestic), Wes Clark also holds an advanced degree in economics,
several honorary Knighthoods, the USA's highest civilian level award of the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a
National Audubon Society award for saving an endangered species of desert turtle.
There is a downloadable short movie of Clark's life entitled
American Son. General Clark also has a
MySpace page[
3] containing more information about the General, including his favorite books, movies, and music. His
Podcasts and video of his speeches are often posted there as well.
Clark was born in
Chicago,
Illinois, on
December 23,
1944. His father, Benjamin J. Kanne, was a Democratic Chicago
Councilman,
World War I veteran, delegate at the 1932 Democratic National Convention (where Franklin Roosevelt was first nominated) and lawyer who died in 1948 when Wesley Clark was almost 4 years old. Benjamin was the son of Jacob Kanne and Ida Goldman, immigrants from
Russia (Clark's middle name, Kanne, refers to his grandfather's lineage as a
Kohen, a descendant of the ancient Jewish priests).
1Clark's mother, Veneta Updegraff Bogard Kanne, returned to her Updegraff parents' home in
Little Rock, Arkansas after Benjamin's death. Through the UpdeGraff line, Wesley Clark's ancestry goes back to American colonial, pre-revolutionary times and the Pennsylvania Dutch/Germans. Three of the "Original 13" who came over from the Dutch sector of Krefeld, Germany, and were the first settlers of Pennsylvania, were UpdeGraffs (OpdenGraeffs), and UpdeGraffs fought in the
American Revolutionary War.
Veneta, who was a Methodist, went back to work as a bank teller/secretary, raising her son as a single working mother, with the help of Clark's maternal grandparents who worked in an Arkansas lumber mill. The death of Wes Clark's biological father left the nearly four-year old Wes with a speech impediment that he would eventually overcome by the age of 7. During Clark's primary campaign in 2004, his cousin remarked that they grew up poor but that Clark always drove himself to study hard without any prodding from adults, a child consciously limiting his own play time so that he could go study. During this
Cold War era, he started learning Russian on his own because he wanted to understand how the other side thought. He stated that the only thing his deceased Democratic Party activist father left him was a navy uniform and a love of family and country. He would find his life's calling in John F. Kennedy's speech, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
In 1954, when Wesley was 9, Veneta married a former banker Victor Clark, who adopted Wesley.
Wesley grew up Baptist in Little Rock, attended
public school, and was very active in the Boys and Girls club and in Southern Baptist Church activities and summer camps.
He graduated from Hall High School in Little Rock as
valedictorian, having led the swim team to the state championship.
2In 1965, Clark met fellow future Arkansas Rhodes Scholar
Bill Clinton at a
Georgetown University conference.
In July 1962, at the age of 17, Clark entered the
U.S. Military Academy in
West Point,
New York, beginning his 38 years in the
U.S. military. Here Clark met Gertrude "Gert" Kingston of
Brooklyn at a dance when some of the West Point cadets "crashed" the dance given by the Annapolis U.S. Naval Academy cadets. Clark graduated from West Point as the valedictorian in June 1966, at the age of 21. As the first in his class, he earned the right to choose his branch of service first.
Washington Post military-affairs reporter Rick Atkinson wrote::"Now, an officer stood at the podium in South auditorium and began calling out names by class rank.:
"Clark, Wesley K.:"Wes Clark stood up, the first to choose his branch. Brilliant and intense, he had ranked at the top of his class for three of the four years and would spend his first years after graduation at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar.:
"Armor! Clark declared.:"His classmates responded with a series of cheers and catcalls, which continued through each section."
Clark's class of 1966 would go on to distinguish themselves for bravery and sacrifice, holding the record for most combat casualties at the frontlines of Vietnam.
Clark married Gert Kingston, an Irish-American Catholic, and became a
Roman Catholic (Clark now attends
Presbyterian services with his wife when they are in Little Rock, but they both remain Roman Catholic.) Two months later, in August, Clark was on the road again, this time to complete his studies as a
Rhodes Scholar at
Magdalen College at the
University of Oxford. There he studied
Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), earning a Master's Degree in August 1968.
Once home, he attended the Armor Officer Basic Course in the Army Armor School at
Fort Knox until October and the
Army Ranger Course in the Army Infantry School at
Fort Benning until December.
The following year, Clark commanded A
Company of the 4th Battalion, 68th Armor, 82d Airborne Division at
Fort Riley,
Kansas. In May, he was called to duty in
Vietnam during the
Vietnam War. For the rest of the year,Lieutenant Clark served in Vietnam as the Assistant Staff Officer (Assistant G-3) of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Infantry Division. In January, Clark was promoted to
Captain, and was given command of a
mechanized infantry unit — the A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division.
The next month, February 1970, then 25, Clark was wounded by a
sniper in the jungle. Ambushed by the
Viet Cong, Clark was shot four times (in the right shoulder, right hand, right hip and right leg) before he could find cover. He managed to shout commands to troops, who launched a counterattack and defeated the enemy force. He was awarded the
Bronze Star and
Silver Star::"As the friendly force maneuvered through the treacherous region, it was suddenly subjected to an intense small arms fire from a well-concealed insurgent element. Although painfully wounded in the initial volley, Captain Clark immediately directed his men on a counter-assault of the enemy positions. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Captain Clark remained with his unit until the reactionary force arrived and the situation was well in hand. His courageous initiative and exemplary professionalism significantly contributed to the successful outcome of the engagement. Captain Clark's unquestionable valor in close combat against a hostile force is in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army."
After a few days in hospital Clark was flown back to the States for two months of recuperation at Valley Forge General Hospital in Pennsylvania. It was there that he first saw his son, Wesley Jr, who had been born in his absence. "I saw him for the first time when he was four or five months old. I had a hook in my hand and it scared her when I tried to hold him. But he didn't seem to mind." It would take him another year of rehabilitation to recover from his injuries, which doctors had warned him would leave him with a permanent limp due to the large amount of muscle lost to his right calf. Clark refused this prognosis, teaching himself to walk again and to use his injured hand by teaching himself to play the piano. He would go on to occasionally receive perfect scores on his physical fitness tests throughout his career.
After recovering, Clark continued his military career, being promoted up the line from Captain, to Major, to Lt. Colonel, to Colonel. He then was selected as a flag officer, reaching the rank of Brigadier General (a 1-star General) before successive promotions to 2-star, 3-star and finally a full 4-star General.
From May to September 1970, Clark commanded the C Company, 6th Battalion, 32d Armor, 194th Armored Brigade at
Fort Knox; from October of that year to May 1971 he commanded the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division at
Fort Carson. After this, Clark spent the June and July in
Washington, DC as a Staff Officer in the Modern Volunteer Army program, working as a Special Assistant for the Chief of Staff. Clark later returned to West Point for three years as an instructor and
Assistant Professor of
Social Science.
After this, he graduated from the
National War College and
Command and General Staff College, as well as completing Armor Officer Advanced and Basic Courses and
Army Ranger and Airborne schools.
From 1975 to 1976, Clark was a White House Fellow and served as a Special Assistant to the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget. Later, he was an instructor and
Assistant Professor of
Social Science at West Point.
Clark commanded the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division at
Fort Carson,
Colorado and later trained there and in
Germany. He became director of the
Battle Command Training Program, and created the very first BCTP exercises. He was later promoted to general.
During the
Persian Gulf War, Clark became Commander of the Army National Training Center, in charge of arranging the 1st Cavalry Division's three emergency deployments to
Kuwait during
Operation Desert Storm.
|
Major General Clark, 1992. |
In 1994, Clark was again promoted, and started working with the
Joint Chiefs of Staff as 'Director for Strategic Plans and Policy'. During this time, Clark ensured that the
United Nations and Department of Defense worked together during the invasion of
Haiti.
From 1996 to 1997, General Clark served as the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Southern Command, responsible for all U.S. troops, their families, domestic infrastructure such as healthcare, education, social services, family counselling, commissaries (grocery stores) in Latin America and the Caribbean.
From 1997 to 2000, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. European Command (CINCEUR). As stipulated by international treaty, Clark also held the simultaneous position of Supreme Allied Commander(SACEUR), which is a NATO position that is independent of the U.S. chain of command, but always held by an American. As SACEUR, Clark also held Head of State status requiring meeting with other heads of state, and control over international NATO forces. Supreme Allied Commander of NATO was the same position held by Eisenhower immediately prior to his becoming President of the United States.
In the course of his Career, Clark made many lasting impressions on his fellow officers and the U.S. Army as a whole. The Army once tested a thousand of its officers to see how well they extrapolated future trends from current patterns, and Clark, long before he became a General, finished in first place. He and
Colin Powell competed against one another in an Officers' target shoot-out at
Fort Carson. Clark, in old-school Army tradition, had a 1911
.45 Colt and Powell a new 9mm Beretta, Clark won.[
4]
Under the overall leadership of
Richard Holbrooke, Clark headed the
U.S. military team during negotiations that led to the
Bosnian Peace Accords, in
Dayton,
Ohio.
In 1995, during the negotiation process, Clark and Holbrooke's diplomatic convoy was ambushed on a road by landmines and small arms fire, after Milosevic refused them safe passage. One of their jeeps crashed down a ravine and killed its passengers. Risking his life, Clark, then a 50 yr old man and 3-star general, rapelled down the ravine to search for survivors, admist enemy gunfire. He stayed with the burning jeep until help arrived, saving the wedding band of a dead soldier to personally return it to the soldier's widow. [
5]
From 1997, he was head of the
U.S. European Command, responsible for about 109,000 U.S. troops, their families, health care, education, social services, and all related infrastructure, and all U.S. military activities in 89 countries and territories of
Europe,
Africa, and the
Middle East. Simultaneous, he also occupied the separate NATO position of Supreme Allied Commander(
SACEUR), which granted him Head of State status and overall command of NATO military forces in Europe and leadership of approximately 60,000 troops from 37 NATO and other nations in
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
|
General Clark meeting with Assistant Secretary of Defense John Hamre, Brussels, December 1998. |
As SACEUR, he confronted
Yugoslavia over
Kosovo. NATO's 78-day bombing campaign ended with the Kumanovo truce, a withdrawal of Yugoslav military and police force from
Kosovo, and the entry of NATO and other
Kosovo Force soldiers. In December 2003, Clark testified at Milosevic's trial in the
International Criminal Tribunal. His appearance was not public and transcripts of his testimony were subject to U.S. review before being released, a precaution the Bush Administration didn't take when
Madeleine Albright testified. The timing of this precaution during the height of Clark's primary campaign led many to speculate that Bush ordered this precaution to prevent Clark from getting publicity and airtime. Clark's testimony was sought because he had spoken with Milosevic for a total of more than 100 hours, in his role as the head of the U.S. military team during the
Dayton Agreement negotiations and as NATO's
Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
Another controversial part of Clark's command in Kosovo came after the end of the military campaign and involved the use of a Kosovo airfield by the Russian military. After a small Russian force suspiciously left their peacekeeping station in Bosnia unannounced and took control of the Slatina airfield, near Pristina, on June 10, 1999, there was a "battle of wills" between Clark and the British NATO commander, Lt. Gen.
Mike Jackson. Clark ordered British forces to block the runways to the airfield, to prevent the Russian troops from being resupplied from their homeland. This maneuver would have been one step short of hostile, and Jackson did not comply, reportedly later saying: "I'm not going to start the Third World War for you."
Clark, in an
NPR interview, said that the incident was a surprising moment for him. Clark stated that his order to block the
runways was refused by an emotional Jackson and that he took the matter up the British
chain of command. In his book
Waging Modern War, Clark says Jackson protested, "Sir, I'm a three-star general; you can't give me orders like this," and that he responded, "Mike, I'm a four-star general, and I can tell you these things."
Clark stated that General
Sir Charles Guthrie, British
Chief of the Defence Staff, agreed with Jackson. Guthrie, according to Clark, also told him that
Hugh Shelton, the Chairman of the US
Joint Chiefs of Staff, also agreed with him. Clark said he found this very surprising, contending that the original suggestion to block the Russians came from Washington. Clark stated that he called
the Pentagon, looking for support, and was told by Shelton: "We don't want a confrontation, but I do support you." Clark said that he told Shelton: "Then you've got a policy problem". Clark maintained in the NPR interview that the matter was a difference in the perception of the policy between the US administration and the British government. Clark said he believed he was carrying out the suggestions of the administration in Washington.
The
Clinton administration later persuaded
Hungary and
Romania to deny
Russia flight over their airspace, preventing the Russians from landing transport planes carrying reinforcements to their troops at Pristina. In July 1999, the Russians agreed to integrate their forces into NATO's operations.
Senator
John McCain (R-AZ) would go on to say that later intelligence reports of massed Russian troops waiting for airlift to enter Kosovo and split control from NATO proved Clark's assessment of the situation with the Russians to be correct. Colonel Hackworth, a decorated veteran and respected journalist, who initially blamed Clark would later recant and said that Clark did nothing wrong, and that the fault for the miscommunication laid squarely with the administration officials Secretary Bill Cohen and Gen. Hugh Shelton, both Republicans.[
6]
 |
Clark's campaign logo |
After retiring from the army, Clark worked as a military and international affairs analyst, including a stint as a commentator for
CNN. He began preparations for a
Democratic 2004 presidential candidacy in 2002, including visits to the all-important first primary state of
New Hampshire.
In March of 2003, DraftWesleyClark.com began a
nationwide campaign to "
draft Clark" for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2004 presidential election. By August 2003, the movement had grown to include several
draft groups working on this behalf. Also by this time, DraftWesleyClark.com had raised nearly $2,000,000 in "pledges" for a potential Clark candidacy.
CNN on
13 August showed a
commercial by DraftWesleyClark.com, and interviewed Clark. He disavowed any connection with the "draft Clark" groups, but said he had been considering his position and that within a few weeks he would likely make public his decision on whether or not to run. He also fueled speculation with a television interview in which he first declared himself a Democrat.
On
September 17, 2003 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Clark announced his intention to run in the
presidential primary election for the Democratic Party nomination, becoming the tenth and last Democrat to do so (coming many months after the others): "My name is Wes Clark. I am from Little Rock, Arkansas, and I am here to announce that I intend to seek the presidency of the United States of America." He said, "We're going to run a campaign that will move this country forward, not back."
His campaign focused on themes of leadership and patriotism; early campaign ads relied heavily on biography. His late start left him with relatively few detailed policy proposals. This weakness was apparent in his first few debates, although he soon presented a range of position papers, including a major tax-relief plan. Many Democrats flocked to his campaign. They were drawn by his impressive military background, and saw such foreign policy credentials as a valuable asset in challenging
George W. Bush post-
September 11. Advisors and supporters portrayed him as more electable than
Howard Dean, who was the frontrunner for the party's nomination up until the
Iowa caucus.
Criticism of Clark began almost the moment he entered the race. Originally heralded as an anti-war general, he stumbled in the first few days of his candidacy. He was perceived as changing his answer on how he would have voted on the Iraq war resolution. His supporters argued that his perceived indecision was due to lack of experience with the media and their insistence on short "sound bite" answers.
As an Independent throughout his military career, Wesley Clark affiliated himself with the Democratic Party in 2003. Clark stated that he voted for Republican candidates in the past, including Presidents
Nixon and
Reagan, as well as Democratic candidates,
Clinton and
Gore. He previously made critical comments about the Bush administration and its foreign policy team, including one at a GOP fundraiser in 2001. However, Clark had been a strong critic of President Bush's war with Iraq, which he argued was not part of the war on terror. In September 2002, Clark gave testimony before the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) at Capital Hill, where he warned that the Bush Administration's Iraq war policy would be flawed without a comprehensive strategic foreign policy to stabilize Iraq after the ouster of the Saddam regime. In April 2005, Clark again appeared before the HASC , where he again outlined suggestions for Congress towards how to deal with the Iraq occupation. He was praised by members of both parties for his keen foresight and predictions regarding costs and consequences of the Iraq war and in US foreign policy.
In answer, Clark supporters emphasized the
progressive character of his policy positions. A frequent refrain, echoed in the campaign's official "Talking Points for Supporters," is that he is "
pro-choice, pro-
affirmative action, pro-environment, pro-
health care, and pro-
labor."
Clark was supported by documentary filmmaker
Michael Moore, as well as
pop singer
Madonna, who held a fundraiser for his campaign at her
Los Angeles home, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
Robert Rubin, and many other widely known Americans. He had also received an Audubon Award for helping to save an endangered species at one of the bases he commanded, and was endorsed by the founder of Earthday, 55 diplomats, human rights activists like Samantha Powers, civil rights activists, and the whistleblower who helped expose Enron's corruption.
In a 30-second campaign commercial aimed at young people released
October 30, 2003, his presidential campaign made reference to the
hip hop duo
OutKast. In the ad, Clark is sitting in a coffee shop with a dozen middle-class young adults of various American ethnicities. The young adults do not speak, but sit and listen as Clark appears to be answering their questions. "Well, to answer your questions, no, I would not have voted for the
Iraq war...I am pro-choice and I am a strong believer in Affirmative Action...And I don't care what the other candidates say, I don't think OutKast is really breaking up.
Andre 3000 and
Big Boi just cut solo records, that's all." The last comment prompts a blond-bearded young man to say approvingly "all right" and to tap fists with Clark.
Clark's campaign also made an aggressive effort to develop a strong base of
Meetup users, starting in November, 2003, and "Clark in 2004" was soon the second most popular Meetup topic, immediately following "Dean in 2004".
His campaign developed a very strong
Internet following which was brought together with an ambitious Web initiative: the
Clark Community Network, an integrated system of
blogs and Web tools. Its
E-Blocks, and campaign train allowed Clark to raise $10 million (of a total of $29.5 million) in the
forth quarter of 2003, raising more money than any other candidate during that quarter. This innovative technology was cutting edge, but largely overlooked by media excitement over the Dean Internet strategy.
In January of 2004, he decided to bypass campaigning in the
Iowa caucus, instead focusing his campaign to win or place second in New Hampshire, and announced a plan that would raise taxes on upper-income individuals in order to cut income taxes for "all families of four earning below
$50,000".
His son later mused that the former was a fatal mistake. Clark focused on winning New Hampshire, or placing second to Dean, to position himself to defeat presumed frontrunner Dean, but when
John Kerry and
John Edwards each placed ahead of Dean in the Iowa caucuses, they drew the media focus in the days immediately before the New Hampshire primary. Clark took third place in New Hampshire, behind New Englanders Kerry and Dean, and ahead of Edwards despite the Kerry/Edwards momentum from Iowa. The younger Clark suggested that had Clark remained a candidate in Iowa he, instead of Kerry and Edwards, might have benefited from Dean's drop in support.
Despite this setback, Clark decided to remain in the race, at least until
February 3, when 8 primaries — many in the
South, Clark's regional base — would be held. During the
February 3 contests, he won the
Oklahoma primary, making him the only candidate other than John Kerry to win a non-"home" state. He also placed second in Arizona, North Dakota, and New Mexico, giving him more second place finishes in the Feb 3rd primaries than John Edwards, who would become the eventual vice-presidential nominee. Following
3 February, he moved on to campaign in
Tennessee and
Virginia, states he hoped would provide him the necessary momentum to remain in the race. After placing third in the primaries in both Tennessee and Virginia, he withdrew from the race on
February 11,
2004. A day after his withdrawal, Clark announced he would endorse
John Kerry, at a rally in
Madison, Wisconsin.
Although 2004 was Wes Clark's first run for office, where he started a year or two behind everyone else, entering the race after the first Democratic Primary debate had already occurred, he ended up surpassing many experienced campaigners who had solid national reputations, years of elective experience, and established fundraising and campaign staffs. [
7] He is considered a prospective presidential candidate for 2008, and has actively cultivated a support base through campaigning for other Democrats and posting frequent podcasts.[
8].
Following Clark's endorsement of John Kerry, he engaged in fundraising and spoke out against the
Bush administration and their handling of Iraq. He wrote extensive editorial articles, made frequent appearances on televised political talk shows, and founded a new
political action committee called
WesPAC.
In addition, he has maintained a very strong following of dedicated supporters who discuss and spread his ideals presented during the primaries. They have called themselves "Clarkies", "Clarkistas," , Clark Democrats, Wes Clark Democrats, or Wes Wingers. Many continue their active support for him, as "Clark Bloggers," through the
Clark Community Network (CCN),
Clark Volunteers,
A Wes Clark Democrat, various Yahoo Groups, DailyKos, MyDD, DemocraticUnderground, and numerous other progressive online venues and blogs.
Following John Kerry's defeat in the
2004 election, Wesley Clark is viewed as a possible Democratic Party candidate for President or Vice President in the
2008 presidential election, one who can unite the various factions of the Democratic party, as well as bringing in independents and moderate Republican voters.
In June 2005
Fox News Channel announced that they had signed General Clark as a
military and
foreign affairs analyst.
Clark believes that it is essential to the health of America's democracy to reestablish a multiparty system where one party does not control all three branches of government. Towards this end, he has devoted the bulk of his time to fundraising and campaigning for Democratic candidates and local grassroots establishments across the country, especially in traditionally Republican areas, in the hopes of winning at least one of the two chambers of congress. This drive is reflected in the heavy schedule he has maintained in helping Democrats:
*partial list of Clark's Democratic events in 2005[
9]
*partial list of Clark's Democratic events in 2006[
10].
General Wesley Clark is mentioned as a potential 2008 presidental canidate on the Democratic ticket. He has not yet committed to the race, though On Colorodo Radio, when asked about 2008, Clark replied " I never said I won't run." When asked directly General Clark most often replies that he will wait until after the 2006 mid-term elections to decide, as he considers the immediate issue of the mid-terms more imporant.
In some internet polls, especially left-leaning polls like
Roots Primary and
Daily Kos-associated polls, General Clark is near or in the lead of potential Democratic candidates. Wes Clark is actively campaigning for individual Democrats in 2006 as well as campaigning for the Democratic party to retake control of the Congress, which also raises his visibility among rank-and-file Democrats.
Wes Clark has many qualilites which are considered appealing for the 2008 Democratic Nomination:
* He is from the south and he is a Retired General, which is appealing to centrist and traditionally-Republican voters which a
Democrat would need to win the
White House.
* He came in fourth place in the last
Democratic Primary, a strong showing despite the number of high-profile candidates.
* He is a
Rhodes Scholar; he's considered to be a speaker and writer of great ability.
* He has no legislative record which could be held against him, as was done to
John Kerry in 2004.
* He has been Fox News contributor for over a year, giving him visibility with demographics which shun the less-conservative news networks.
* He has been heavily involved in shaping the Democratic Party's foreign policy stance, serving as an advisor to several candidates.
*1948 Father dies when Wes is 3 years old. Family moves back to Little Rock, Arkansas.
*1962 Graduates from Hall High and enters
West Point*1966 June, Marries Gertrude Kingston.
*1969-1970 Commander of a mechanized infantry company in combat in Vietnam wounded four times receiving Purple Heart and Silver Star
*1975-6 White House Fellow, Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
*1994-6 Director of the Pentagon's Strategic Plans and Policy operation, responsible to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for world-wide politico-military affairs and U.S. military strategic planning. Led the military negotiations for the Bosnian Peace Accords at Dayton.
*1996-7 Commander in chief of the U.S. Southern Command, Panama, controlling all U.S. forces & most U.S. military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
*1997-2000 Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (SACEUR), and Commander-in-Chief for the United States European Command (CINCEUR).
*June 2000 Retires from military service
*July 2000 Senior adviser at
CSIS *2000-2, Corporate consultant for Little Rock-based Stephens Group Inc. helps develop emerging-technology companies.
*2003
17 September, Announces candidacy to become the Democratic Party nominee for President
*2004
11 February, Withdraws from race for Democratic Party Presidential nominee2006- Supports Congressional Democrats
This list is not complete*Chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a business services and development firm based in Little Rock
*Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor,
James Lee Witt Associates, an emergency management and homeland security consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.
*Founder & Chairman of "Leadership for America", an independent non-partisan, non-profit organization "fostering the national dialogue about America's future"
*Senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
*Director of the
Atlantic Council*Board member of the
International Crisis Group*Senior military analyst for
CNN, commenting on the US
anti-terrorism activities, the
2003 invasion of Iraq and foreign policy
*(As of June 2005) Expert Military and Foreign Affairs Analyst,
Fox News Channel*Advisor, US Congress Democratic National Security Advisory Group
*Advisor, General Accounting Office (GAO)
*Advisor, ManyOne Network, Digital Universe web browser
*Congressional Task Force on United Nations Reform
*"Healthy Homes, Smart Neighborhoods" Task Force on sustainable housing in post-Katrina Gulf Coast areas - Global Green
*Vice Chairman, International Crisis Group
*Board of Advisors, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) PAC, a nonpartisan group dedicated to electing Iraq/Aghanistan war veterans to congress
*Chairman of Rodman Renshaw holdings, a small broker-dealer specializing in financing for small biotech companies
*CEO, Wavecrest Laboratories, a company developing pollutionless engines for electric bikes
*Chairman,
:Project H.E.R.O., a national program to retrofit homes to be wheel-chair and otherwise accessible for disabled veterans
U.S. Military decorations
Each "Oak Leaf Cluster" or "Service Star" denotes an additional bestowal of the same award.
*
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters)[
11]
**For Bosnia service
**Joint Staff, end of tour
**For service at U.S. Southern Command
**For service as Commander of the Kosovo conflict
**For service as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
*
Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster)[
12]
**1st Cavalry Division 1994
**Upon retirement 2000
*
Legion of Merit (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)[
13]
**Shape 1979
**D.A. Staff 1983
**MJC 1986
**MJC 1991
*
Silver Star Medal[
14]
**1970
*
Bronze Star Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster)[
15]
**1969
**1970
*
Purple Heart[
16]
**1970
*
Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster)[
17]
**1977
**1985
*
Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster)[
18]
**1969
**1974
*
Joint Meritorious Unit Citation[
19]
**2000
*
National Defense Service Medal (with
service star)[
20]
*
Vietnam Service Medal (with 3 service stars)[
21]
*
Army Service Ribbon[
22]
*
Vietnam Campaign Medal[
23]
*
Combat Infantryman Badge[
24]
*
Parachutist Badge[
25]
*
Ranger Tab[
26]
*
Army Staff Identification Badge[
27]
*
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge[
28]
U.S. Civilian awards
*
Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2000[
29]
*White House Fellowship, 1975[
30]
*Legacy of Leadership Award, 1999[
31]
*Lady Liberty Award for National Security and World Peace, 2000 [
32]
*Balkan Peace Award, 2001 [
33]
*Secretary of State's Open Forum Distinguished Public Service Award, 2001 [
34]
Knighthoods
The
United States Constitution prohibits government officials from accepting titles of nobility from foreign governments, but no such prohibition exists on private citizens. Thus, Wes Clark was eligible for Knighthood following his retirement from the military, but any Knighthoods granted prior to his retirement were granted as "honorary" Knighthoods. The following are inductions into Orders that are categorized as Orders of Knighthood/Chivalry, or Orders in which Knight is the lowest rank:
*Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent
Order of the British Empire[
35]
*Commander of the
Legion of Honor (
France)[
36]
*Knight Grand Cross in the
Order of Orange-Nassau, with Swords (Netherlands)[
37]
*Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg[
38]
*The Grand Cordon of the
Order of Leopold (Belgium)[
39]
*
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy [
40]
International honors
*
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany [
41]
*Grand Cross of the
Medal of Military Merit (Portugal) [
42]
*The Commander's Cross with Star of the
Order of Merit of Republic of Poland (
Polish:
Order Zaslugi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej)[
43]
*Grand Military Service Cross (White Badge) (Spain) [
44]
*Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defense First Class (Czech Republic) [
45]
*Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic [
46]
*Commander's Cross, The Silver Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia;[
47]
*Madarski Konnik Medal (Bulgaria) [
48]
*Commemorative Medal of the Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic First Class (Slovakia) [
49]
*First Class
Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (Lithuania);[
50]
*First Class Order of the Cross of the Eagle (Estonia);[
51]
*The Skanderbeg Medal (Albania) [
52]
*Grand Cordon of the Ouissam Alaoui (Morocco) [
53]
*Order of May of Military Merit (Argentina) [
54]
*The Grade of Prince Trpimir with Ribbon and Star (Croatia)[
55]
*
Meritorious Service Decoration (Military Division) of Canada[
56]
*Grand Commander of the Order of Vesthardes Rex (Latvia)[
57]
*
Transcript of Clark's Democratic National Convention Address, Boston,
July 29,
2004*
Transcript of "The Real State of the Union 2006",
January 30,
2006. Clark's unofficial response to the
2006 State of the Union address of President George W. Bush.
*
*
Retired General Clark has written numerous articles published in newspapers and magazines. Below is just a sampling.
*
The Next Iraq Offensive The New York Times, December 6, 2005
*
The Real Battle: Winning in Fallujah Is Just the Beginning The Washington Post, November 14, 2004
*
Broken Engagement: The The strategy that won the Cold War could help bring democracy to the Middle East-- if only the Bush hawks understood it. The Washington Monthly, May 2004
*
Families Should Keep More Of Their Earnings Originally published Seattle PI, January 14, 2004
*
Real Tax Reform Originally published The Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2004
*
An Army of One? - In the war on terrorism, alliances are not an obstacle to victory. They're the key to it. The Washington Monthly, September 2002
*
Never Leave a Soldier Behind Military.com, December 15, 2003
*
Impact Aid: Making the Commitment to our Military Family: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Education Reform Committee on Education and the Workforce United States House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, November 8, 2001
*
American Son -- Biopic presenting the lifestory of Wes Clark, created and used during 2004 primary campaign.
*
TV Appearances-- Collection of video clips, audio files, and transcripts of TV appearances by Clark
*
Radio Interviews -- Audio files of Clark's radio interviews
*
ClarkCasts -- a series of weekly podcasts by Clark available for free from iTunes or
WesPac. You can subscribe (free) via the iTunes Music Store or WesPac, or get the mp3 file directly from WesPac. Within three weeks of its launching, ClarkCast became ranked at #1 in number of subscriptions and popularity in the Political Podcast category by iTunes, surpasssing Sean Hannity, Barack Obama, and John Edwards.
1 For more information on Clark's Jewish heritage and his religious views in general, see the following::Kampeas, Ron. "Latest contender for president comes from long line of rabbis." JTA News] 17 September 2003:Kampeas, Ron. "What´s in a name? For Clark, clues to his Jewish heritage." JTA News] 14 October 2003:Kampeas, Ron. "Rabbinical past revised: Wesley Clark corrects Jewish heritage remarks." JTA News] 17 October 2003: Clark, Wesley. Interview with Steven Waldman. Beliefnet.¹The following references report the confrontation. Clark devotes an entire chapter to the incident in his book Waging Modern War (Chap. 15).
*International Herald Tribune
*CNN, 12 June 1999
*Sunday Times, 2 August 1999
*The Guardian, 11 May 2000
2 During one of his schooling years, Wes temporarily went to another school which he discovered had swimming. Upon returning to his own school, he discovered that they had no swim team. He set about creating a swim team even though they had no pool, no team, no coach, and no swimming lessons. He would go on to lead this team to win the state championship. On the day of the relay medley contest, one of the members fell ill. Short of the requisite number of teammates, they were about to be disqualified. Wes Clark convinced the judges to let them replaced the sick member by letting Wes swim not just his own leg of the race, but that of the sick member as well, thus leading his team to victory by swimming twice as hard and long.*Politics1 page, listing most of his endorsements: http://politics1.com/clark.htm
*Atkinson, Rick. The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966. 1999. ISBN 0805062912.
*Clark For President. [58] (archived)
*Issues page from 2004 campaign [59]
*Clark, Wesley K. Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat. 2002. ISBN 1586481398.
*Clark, Wesley K. Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire. 2003. ISBN 1586482181.
*Felix, Antonia. Wesley K. Clark: A Biography. 2004. ISBN 1557046255.
*Junod, Tom. "The General." Esquire. August 2003: Volume 140, Issue 2.[60]*Demopedia Wiki on Wes Clark
{{PersondataNAME=Clark, Wesley Kanne | ALTERNATIVE NAMES= | SHORT DESCRIPTION=Four-star general in the United States Army, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Democratic Party presidential primary candidate | DATE OF BIRTH=December 23, 1944 | PLACE OF BIRTH=Chicago, Illinois | DATE OF DEATH= | PLACE OF DEATH=
|
