Posted by Nayeli, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jan 17, 2012 at 5:50 pm

This man is a true hero. Thank you for your sacrifices, Carl Clark!

Posted by Bob, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jan 17, 2012 at 7:28 pm

> Although the ship's captain told Clark he would make every effort to

> have him awarded for his heroism, those efforts were unsuccessful.

> But that injustice ended today.

There were 16M men/women in combat during WWII. About 80K were aircrew that disappeared on missions, and were never heard of again. It's hard to believe that all of those missing airmen, and the 200+K soldiers and sailors who also died fighting for the US did deserve accommodations also--but they didn't. The claim that Mr. Clark was the victim of "injustice" because he did not receive a medal during, or at the end of the war, is mean spirited, almost vicious. It's typical of people who have very little understanding of the military, and seem to want to trash it, rather than honor it.

If you happen to meet someone who fought in WWII, maybe of of their service might not have been as heroic as Mr. Clark's, but please take the time to say: "Thanks for being there". It's not very much, but it will make their day.

Posted by tp, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Jan 17, 2012 at 8:40 pm

Bob - thank you for reminding us of the Tea Party point of view, on the day after Martin Luther King Day.

Posted by Nayeli, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jan 18, 2012 at 10:45 am

@ Bob:

Better yet, if you see a WWII veteran standing in line to pay for lunch or a cup of coffee, pick up their tab. If they ask why, just tell them that it is an honor.

My husband has done this several times. One man who was wearing a Pearl Harbor survivors cap was almost in tears and said that it was the first time in decades that someone thanked him outside of a holiday or memorial ceremony.

We owe a lot to our veterans.