SFC Hugh Clark Jr
 

:cheers: Happy to announce that SFC Hugh Clark Jr is back in Texas proudly wearing a Combat Medic Badge and a Bronze Star for action in Iraq. After a few weeks here he will be stationed in Alaska for the next four years.:jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper::jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper::jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper::jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper:

Okay proud Dad!! Congratulations to your hero son!!

I'm glad he returned safely!!!

:)

Hugh, You and your family are entitled to the joy of this event. I hope you revel in it. We all thank Hugh Jr. for his service.

Iraq to Alaska? The DOD's sense of humor is surpassed only by God's.

From heat stroke to frost bite!!

Only a someone from Texas would think that is "normal"

Let him Know We are proud of him!! And all those that have made this sacrifice for us!

THANK YOU!

Great news Hugh! Now you got to worry about bears! :) til...lat'r....GT

Hugh, Truly magnificent news! A job well done..Please let him know we are proud of his service to our Country. I know it will relieve your mind..Jerry Burney

Hugh,

That's great to hear.

Ron

Never underestimate the Alaskans though :)

Hugh, good to read he made it back OK. And I heard Jan Still's backyard makes a great camp site.

excellent news !




ed

I am so thankful. Prayers are answered.

Wonderful news Hugh. Delighted to hear it.
I can only imagine how relieved (and proud) you must feel.

How about regaling us with the story behind the Bronze Star. They don't just give those things away for showing up you know! <grin>

(Buy him a S&W Mountain Gun before he goes to Alaska. That 9mm Beretta popgun the Army issues won't do him much good there.)

No doubt they will issue him mosquito netting and demand he return the parka they issued him for Iraq!

<grin>

"Wonderful Wonderful News"

Hugh,

A Sergeant First Class Christmas present!

No matter how old your kids are, you never stop being a parent. I can only imagine the sense of relief and peace of mind you have, now that your son is safe and out of harm's way.

As I noted in a post in another topic,

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Dave in TN.:cheers:

Hugh,

I am delighted for you and your family. You can sleep well at night from here on.

Great news. Now I hope he gets to hunt and fish all the time he's up there.
He's earned it.

Glad to hear it Hugh,I know the feeling of relief. clint

Let him know we are all proud of him Hugh... A very happy new year indeed. My son in law deployed last month... only 14 to go. He is special ops and we don't even know where he is... the hair I have left will be completely gray by the time this year is over...

I am very happy for you and your family.

Hugh,
Thanks for sharing his letters with us in the past, and definitely thank him for his service.
Mike C.

Hugh, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, New Year! Sounds like that young man comes from good stock. Tell him, while he's been serving ....we've been praying. <>< lawrence

Hugh,

As one dad of one deployed multiple times to another, I am certain your joy and relief surpasses anything imaginable.
You have a right to be very proud, and, of course, the duty to be VERY thankful.

May God bless you and your warrior son.

Tom A.

Wonderful news! Perhaps a gift for the returning hero headed to Bear Country... after all, it pays to go well heeled...

http://www.impactguns.com/store/media/smith_500_4.jpg

Congrats on the best Christmas present a guy could ask for! Please thank him once again for his service, will ya. It's greatly appreciated... :cheers:

Also, I second the vote for a nice big bore revolver. Ya just can't trust those wimpy caliber semi-autos for that kind of environment... :D

Thanks for all your well wishes. In reply to several comments and questions, Hugh was in Alaska when he deployed to Iraq and requested to be returned there. He says he likes it up there so much that he may stay after retirement.

He has a Ruger Blackhawk 41 Mag that I gave him when he originally transferred, that should be good bear medicine.

As for the Bronze Star, I will let him describe the action in his own words written in an email last year:

We were driving back from a meeting with the Iraqi Army and following them to another compound when one of our trucks was hit by an EFP/IED. The first vehicle in our group was the Team Chief and his crew, all members of MiTT***. I was approx 60 meters behind them in the 4th vehicle, and at the moment of the explosion just happened to be watching the road in front of us.
It was a huge explosion with approx 40lbs of plastic explosives along with a 3 array EFP (Explosive Foreign Projectile), which are copper slugs faced at the precise angle to enter the trucks to sustain the maximum amount of damage to casualties. We immediately came to a stop and cordoned off the area north and south of the damaged vehicle.
One of the soldiers in the truck came on the radio and could barely speak, all we heard was that he could not get the door open. The truck was on fire and we had to move fast. The team member in the second vehicle ran to the vehicle and helped to extract 3 of the 5 injured. Two of them exited the vehicle on their own and barely made it to the side of the road before they collapsed.
During this time, I pushed my truck up to within 20 meters of the disabled truck and saw one of our guys laying on the ground. I will save the details but tell you below his knees on both legs was not much. I approached him and immediately started treating him along with the help of the other medic. The driver of the second vehicle (which is the truck I normally ride with) jumped out with my extra aid bag and immediately started to apply tourniquets to the other wounded in the road.
I was approx 10 meters away from the burning truck when all hell broke lose...M203 High Explosive rounds and 50 Caliber rounds started cooking off. We were blown back to the ground by the explosions and immediately grabbed the wounded soldier and dragged him behind my vehicle approx 20 meters away and continued treatment. Was a mess, but the team pulled through and I eventually made my way to treat and evaluate all 5 team members.
The driver who grabbed my aid bag and had started to administer lifesaving treatment to the other members left when I arrived, grabbed two fire extinguishers and immediately approached the burning and exploding vehicle to extinguish the fire. Great display of valor, and possibly saved the lives of others on the team. I am not at liberty to explain what we carry on the trucks in detail but due to the significant injuries the team had sustained we could not move them without further treatment being completed. At that time we were well within the range of getting seriously injured or killed. He put the fire out and returned to assist me in the treatment of the casualties.
We radioed to our base and MEDEVAC was dispatched and made it to our site in about 20 minutes. All five went through surgery and are doing well. They will be evacuated to Germany tonight and should all do well. The final outcome will be a long and trying period dealing with the healing process and physical therapy associated with their injuries. We believe the Soldier who sustained the most seriously injuries will keep his legs. Time will tell and further evaluation will need to be done, but so far, what we have heard is good news.

Damn!

Has Hugh Jr. been through a winter in Alaska yet? I would think coming from Texas he would find it more than a bit rough. I've given fleeting thought on occasion to moving to AK, but the thought of those arctic winters always pushes the first thought right back out of my mind.

David,

Yes, he spent 2 yrs at Ft Richardson in Anchorage before being sent to Iraq. The twins were born up there. He spent 4 yrs in Kansas and 2 yrs in Korea before that, so he is used to cold weather.

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...343resized.jpg

Hugh,
congratulations !!! on your son's accomplishments and safe return , and the wonderful family

Bill