William C Clarke

William Clarke – Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial June 15, 2024
My Dad, William Clarke, enlisted into the United States Army in November 1942.
Dad was active duty from June 1943 until he was honorably discharged in March
1946. Dad was stationed overseas for almost two years as part of the Asiatic
Pacific Campaign.
Since Dad was very good in science/math and tested well, he was accepted into the
Army Signal Corp. where he was an Airborne Radar Repairmen. It never really
occurred to me what an Airborne Radar Repairman was until my cousins contacted
me to have my Dad included at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.
I learned that airborne radar was not invented until 1941, and was a miniaturized
and more rugged version of existing radar. Airborne radar allows an aircraft to
locate hostile aircraft and ships, as well as, navigate to bombing targets and then
back to home base.
I know my Dad must have embraced the challenge of keeping the airborne radar
functioning well on B24 and B26 medium bombers, despite all the associated bugs
and problems inherent with new technology.
Most importantly, it must have been very gratifying to my Dad, that through his
efforts, bomber crews were able to efficiently locate their targets and return safely
to their home base.
Among my Dad’s military citations: WWII victory medal, Asiatic Pacific
campaign medal, good conduct medal, three overseas service bars, and a rifle
qualification.
My Dad was very proud of his service in the United States Military. His family is
extremely proud of him. . . . . . . . Dave Clarke