| 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 115 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1028234 |
| OCR Text |
Show RALPH TRA Y L RK T B R 9 2 0 many pints of in gar I rubbed in my legs and tried to walk. It wa painful and I at very time I could. At any rate I said ' You go down t your tent and y u call th m die to look at you every day. When you think you can make it and wear sh uld r trap again you come on back up. We'll get along without you." So that's what we did. So a few days later, Captain Arborghast said, "I just got a telephone call. They' re going to bring up some supplies and our mail and so forth. Do you think we could have some more corn?" I said, "Yes." "I'll tell them to go over to the mess tent and get some salt and pepper and some margarine and they'll bring that up along with the mail. Then I'll have him pick the corn when he comes up. Have someone meet him down there." They went down and picked more corn and came up and we had a real feast. I said, "Remember, you don't latch the lid." So we cooked more com. The guys who ate it sat around; everyone else was envious, I guess. They didn't want to contribute their water, so tough luck. We said, "Ahh, this is good. Wow." We ate them so slow, I think even row by row, almost. BEC: You savored every kernel. RAL: Yes, it was so savory and so good to have hot cooked corn in the wilds of Korea. Who would have thought? Who would have thought that we could have? BEC: So did you have a certain number of missions that you had to fly before you could get out? RAL: No, you just had a time frame. When your time came up, then you'd leave. So you flew until you couldn't fly anymore, figuratively speaking. However, I had a guy who came down. He was going to be my replacement. His name was Something-Levensomething the Third. He was a plutocrat. 115 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6447phs/1028234 |
