| Title |
Ralph Tracy Clark, Smithfield, Utah: an interview by Becky B. Lloyd, September 9, 2006: Saving the Legacy tape nos. 767 & 768 |
| Alternative Title |
Ralph Tracy Clark, Saving the legacy: an oral history of Utah's World War II veterans, ACCN 2070, American West Center, University of Utah |
| Creator |
Clark, Ralph Tracy, 1926- |
| Contributor |
Lloyd, Becky B.; University of Utah. American West Center |
| Publisher |
Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah |
| Date |
2006-09-09 |
| Date Digital |
2015-12-16 |
| Access Rights |
I acknowledge and agree that all information I obtain as a result of accessing any oral history provided by the University of Utah's Marriott Library shall be used only for historical or scholarly or academic research purposes, and not for commercial purposes. I understand that any other use of the materials is not authorized by the University of Utah and may exceed the scope of permission granted to the University of Utah by the interviewer or interviewee. I may request permission for other uses, in writing to Special Collections at the Marriott Library, which the University of Utah may choose grant, in its sole discretion. I agree to defend, indemnify and hold the University of Utah and its Marriott Library harmless for and against any actions or claims that relate to my improper use of materials provided by the University of Utah. |
| Spatial Coverage |
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands; Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands; Okinawa, Japan |
| Subject |
Clark, Ralph Tracy, 1926- --Interviews; Veterans--United States--Biography; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Area--Personal narratives, American; Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American |
| Keywords |
Nagasaki |
| Description |
Transcript (116 pages) of an interview by Becky B. Lloydl with Ralph Tracy Clark on September 9, 2006. From tape numbers 767 and 768. of the "Saving the Legacy" Oral History Project |
| Collection Number and Name |
Accn2070, Saving the Legacy oral history project, 2001-2010 |
| Abstract |
Clark (b. 1926) briefly describes his childhood in Smithfield, Utah. He enlisted in the Navy in March 1944. His boot camp training took place in San Diego, California, then he was assigned to the DD782 as a "plank owner." He describes his duties as a water tender machinist's mate. Clark served in Saipan, Agulon, Okinawa, and Japan. He describes his time in postwar Nagasaki. He was discharged in 1946. In 1950 he joined the army and was shipped to Korea where he joined the 2nd Infantry Division, Battery A, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, Company B. His recollections include time on "Heartbreak Ridge." After receiving the Silver Star, he was transferred from the infantry to air observer and flew 135 missions. He describes the experience that led to his being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Discharged in 1954 as a first lieutenant. Interviewed by Becky Lloyd. 116 pages. |
| Type |
Text |
| Genre |
oral histories (literary works) |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Extent |
116 pages |
| Language |
eng |
| Rights |
 |
| Scanning Technician |
Mazi Rakhsha |
| Conversion Specifications |
Original scanned with Kirtas 2400 and saved as 400 ppi uncompressed TIFF. PDF generated by Adobe Acrobat Pro X for CONTENTdm display |
| ARK |
ark:/87278/s6447phs |
| Topic |
Personal narratives--American; Veterans; World War (1939-1945); Military operations, Naval--American; Korean War (1950-1953) |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1028236 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6447phs |
| Title |
Page 20 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1028139 |
| OCR Text |
Show RALPH TRA Y LARK P M R 9 200 If it was a major engagement we were on until it was over. But£ ur nand£ ur ffw really tough becau ewe had to do the maintenance in between our£ ur-h nd eat and sleep and everything. So, anyway, the next morning I saw him at chow and he said, "Well, we made it didn't we, Red." I said, "Willy, you son of a gun." He chuckled a little bit. Well, he had to orient us some way. He wanted us to be careful. "Yeah, you can be sure I was careful. I don't know whether I even did my job or not thinking about that nonsense you were telling me." He said, "Well, that's the life of a sailor, Sailor." He had authenticity because he'd been blown out of the water twice before. I thought, "This guy knows what's going on." He took great joy in telling us young guys some of these fantastic sea stories that he had. He later made chief petty officer. He was a good guy, but what a character. He was really a roustabout during his liberties but I won't get into all of that. There was a story of when we came back. We came back to the States. We got back and later on in 1945, we became a training ship out of San Diego. We took a lot of new recruits out and that was my time to be "salty" and talk to some of these young guys and so forth. By that time, I was a water tender, third class. These were all new recruits going out to see what it was like. They asked me all kinds of questions. "What's it like, Sir?" "Sir!" (laughs). BEC: Right. RAL: So we spun a few stories to them, war stories. "Wait until you get into your first typhoon. That's when you need to hang on." We told them all kinds of exaggerated things. Well, they were kind of true, in a way (laughs). "You go down there for three or 20 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6447phs/1028139 |
