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Wesley Kanne ClarkUS Army General
Date of Birth: 23.12.1944
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Wesley Clark
Retired US Army General Wesley Clark is a highly decorated military officer who served for 34 years in the US Army and the Department of Defense. He was born on December 23, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois.
Early Life and Education
Clark's grandfather was a Jewish immigrant from Belarus, who came to the US in the late 19th century. His father, Benjamin J. Kanne, served as a lieutenant in the US Navy during World War I. Clark's mother remarried Victor Clark when Wesley was a teenager, and he legally adopted Wesley at the age of 16. To protect him from anti-Semitic acts by the Ku Klux Klan, Clark's mother hid his Jewish heritage and raised him in the Baptist church.
Clark attended public school and excelled academically, receiving a national scholarship for his achievements. He also helped his school swim team win state competitions. Despite wearing glasses, Clark applied to the United States Military Academy at West Point and was accepted on April 24, 1962. The famous West Point speech by Douglas MacArthur titled "Duty, Honor, Country" had a significant impact on Clark's decision to pursue a military career.
Military Career
Upon graduating from West Point as an "Honor Cadet" in 1966, Clark embarked on a successful military career. During his service, he met his future wife, Gertrude Kingston, at a USO dance. Clark attended the US Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and later pursued a master's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Magdalen College, Oxford University, on a Rhodes scholarship. He then completed officer training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and the Ranger School at Fort Benning.
Clark achieved the rank of Captain and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Riley, Kansas. Throughout his military career, Clark received numerous awards, honors, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 1997 to 2000, commanding the NATO forces during the Kosovo War.
Political Career
After retiring from the military, Clark ventured into politics. He actively campaigned for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2004 but withdrew from the race on February 11, 2004. Clark became a frequent critic of President George W. Bush's foreign policy, particularly regarding the Middle East.
He later served as a special advisor to the Prime Minister of Romania, Victor Ponta, on security and economic matters from July 2012 to November 2015. Clark was considered as a potential candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2008 and initially supported Hillary Clinton. However, when Barack Obama secured the nomination, Clark campaigned for him and endorsed him for president.
Aside from his political involvement, Clark is also an author, having written books such as "Winning Modern Wars" and "Waging Modern War." He continues to be active in political circles and leads the political committee "WesPAC: Securing America," which supports Democratic Party candidates in US congressional elections.
