THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC WAR (ADMIRAL NIMITZ MUSEUM) Center for Pacific War Studies Fredericksburg, Texas An Interview with. Gilbert H. Clark Oroville, California December 22, 2005 Pearl Harbor Survivor USS Helena CL-SO Supported Guadalcanal Landing 08/0711942 With Juneau when sunk Assigned to USS Franklin CV-13 Ten Battle Stan on Helena Several on Franklin My name is Richard Misenhimer and today is December 22, 2005. I am interviewing Mr. Gilbert H. Clark by telephone. His address is: 6307 Woodman Drive, Oroville, California 95906. His phone number is area code 530-589-2716. This interview is in support of the National Museum of Pacific Wars, Center for Pacific War Studies, for the preservation of historical information related to World War II. Mr. Misenhimer Gilbert I want to thank you for taking time to do this interview today and I want to thank you for your service to our country during World War II. Mr. Clark I wasn't alone though. Mr. Misenhimer No there were about 16 million altogether; but all of you; I have the greatest respect for all of you that were there. Now the first thing I need to do is read to you this agreement with the Nimitz Museum. "Agreement read." Is that okay with you? Mr. Clark Yes, that sounds good. Mr. Misenhimer My first question is what is your birth date? Mr. Clark July 15, 1923. Mr. Misenhimer Where were you born? Mr. Clark Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Misenhimer Did you have brothers and sisters? Mr. Clark I had one brother. Mr. Misenhimer Was he in World War Il? Mr. Clark No he wasn't able to get in, he had medical probJems. Mr. Misenhimer Where did you go to high school? Mr. Clark There in Chicago. Mr. Misenhimer You were born in Detroit? Mr. Clark Yes but then I was kicked around a little bit and went to San Diego and lived there for a while. My mother and father had separated and my mother took me back to Chicago and dumped me out of the car and said~ "Live with your dad" and then we went from there. Mr. Misenhimer So you went with your father then? 2 Mr. Clark Yes. I was nine years old then. Mr. Misenhimer Then you went to high school in Chicago; when did you finish there? Mr. Clark Last part of 1940. I went into the CC's. The part of the CCts that I was in, we didn't plant any trees. They had us building reservoirs out in the desert up there in Idaho and in the Forest Service they had a camp and we were in for fighting forest fires. Mr. Misenhimer Now that was the Civilian Conservation Corps they called it I believe. Mr. Clark Yes. Mr. Misenhimer Yes, as I mentioned last night in certain places they did plant trees. Mr. Clark Oh yes, they had projects for us. For a bunch of kids they sure kept us busy. Mr. Misenhimer When did you go into that? Mr. Clark Right after I got out of high school; it was July of 1940. Mr. Misenhimer How long were you in that? 3 Mr. Clark Six months. Then I got out of that and then right into the Navy. Mr. Misenhimer What date did you join the Navy. Mr. Clark July the 23rd I think it was of 1941. Mr. Misenhimer How did you choose the Navy? Mr. Clark I got out of the CC's or was coming back from the CC's and the Anny recruiters were up and down the train all the time going from Idaho to Chicago. I don't know I just didn't care for it and I kind of leaned toward the Navy. Nobody else in my family was ever in it but it was just a preference I had. Mr.Misenhimer Where did you join, there in Chicago? Mr. Clark Yes. I went to Great Lakes Naval Training Station and went through it. Mr. Misenhimer Tell me about your boot camp there at Great Lakes. Mr. Clark It was like all the rest of the boot camps you know. When you first go in you went into what they called the detention area, where you didn't have any liberties or anything. Then after three weeks of that they put you into what they called the paradise area. You could 4 get off on weekends and stuff if you behaved yourself and didn't get into any trouble. It was a good training. My thoughts when I was riding the train in the CC's and all of this was going on I thought, "I'm going to get some place and get in and get trained before we get into the war." I was just sure we were going to get in it. Then I did and of course I was aboard ship and trained and knew what I was supposed to be doing. Mr. Misenhimer In your boot camp, your drilJ instructors, were they Marines or were they Navy? Mr. Clark They were Navy Chiefs. The Chief we had for our company commander, his name was Duncan and he bad spent one full cruise in the China station. He was quite a guy. Mr. Misenhimer How strict were they on you? Mr. Clark Pretty strict; not like the Marines but we were close to it We adhered to all the rules and regulations. They get you trained that way so you start behaving and listening to them. Mr. Misenhimer Did you have any kind of weapons training? Mr. Clark Ob yes. We had the old 30.06 Springfield rifle that was assigned to us while we were in boot camp. Then we did firing range twice I think it was. Then one time they took us to, well Lake Michigan was right there and they had a set up there and had a 5 inch gun there mounted on a platform type thing, floating, and we would fire that thing at a target. 5 Mr. Misenhimer Did you have knot tying? Mr. Clark Oh yes. they went through al) that knot stuff; all the regular classroom stuff. They had swimming and diving down in the pool and picking up a rubber brick and bringing it to the top and stuff like that Mr. Misenhimer How long was that boot camp? Mr. Clark Three months. Mr. Misenhimer What was your pay when you first went in, do you recall? Mr. CJark $21 once a month. Mr. Misenhimer Big pay (laughing). Of course back in those days you bad all your room and board and everything else. Mr. CJark Oh yes we made out pretty good. Mr. Misenhimer But they had certain deductions I think from it didn' t they? Mr. Clark Yes. The Navy never did give; you had had to pay for your clothes. 6 Mr. Misenhimer Oh did you, okay. Mr. Clark After we got sunk and lost all our clothes there, they did issue us a credit in clothing and we could go ahead and buy it and it was charged off. Mr. Misenhimer When you first went in, your initial issue, was that charged to you or did you have to pay for that? Mr. Clark No. lbat one wasn't but after that if you needed new shoes you paid for them, or socks or anything. Mr. Misenhimer When I was in the Anny it was the same thing. I think we got a small clothing allowance, I'm not sure. Mr. Clark Later on, I think it was after the war started, we got a clothing allowance. It wasn't very much, but it did help. Mr. Misenhimer Anything else that you recall from your time in boot camp? Mr. Clark No. It was awful strict. You didn't do anything on your own. When I moved, well the company moved out of detention over into what they called paradise, there was a soda fountain in that area. Another fellow and I went to it to have an ice cream cone and the 7 Chief, our company commander seen us there and because we didn't get permission he told us to give our names to the company clerk when we got back. So we did and by God at 11 :30 they shook us out of our bunks and we had to make up our sea bags seagoing style and carry it from the Administration Building to the main gate for four hours. (laughing) We behaved ourselves after that; we got permission for everything. J'vfr. fviisenhimer Yes, they were teaching you to follow orders. fvir. Clark Yes that was the main thing. Of course, then you weren't picking it up, but a little Jater you picked it up. f\.1r. Misenhimer Then when you finished boot camp, where did you go, or what happened? Mr. Clark I went to San Diego and I was assigned to the Helena and went up to Mare Island and got aboard her. fvir. Misenhimer Did you have any special schooling along the way? Mr. Clark They sent me to an optical school at f\.1are Island because I was in the firecontrol gang and a rangefmder operator so they sent me to optical school Mr. Misenhimer Okay, back to when you were in boot camp, could you go home at any time? 8 Mr. Clark No, not for three tn?nths. Not until you got into what they called the paradise area and then if everything went well you couJd get a weekend off once in a while.