The large field gun recoiled with a deafening boom. A soldier standing under the nearby tree felt something fall with a thud behind him. Turning around, he looked up to find a mother monkey had been mortally wounded. Her young baby had fallen from her grasp onto the unsuspecting soldier's backpack. From that day on the young man and the monkey were inseparable……

The mortar exploded only feet away from the rifleman, filling his lower legs with shrapnel. As he stumbled forward he realized his platoon was nowhere in sight. Blood began to fill his boots as night was approaching. How was he going to get back to the base camp?

The monkey sat on his shoulder, eying the officer's cigarette. He knew the chimp didn't like smoke, but before he could react, the monkey grabbed the offending item dangling from the officer's lips and threw it to the ground. The young private froze, knowing he should probably apologize profusely, but waited to see how his superior would react. To his great relief, he heard laughter from the older man. "Well, I guess I should probably quit smoking anyway," he said. "It really isn't that good for you."

"I was proud to serve my country," was always said very matter-of-factly, without nuance. "It's just what we needed to do." And although the jungles of the Philippines were treacherous, the soldier was grateful that he didn't have to endure the harsh winters of the European theater.

I heard many of these recollected memories from the solder himself, my father, WWII veteran Fred Clark, during the 3 years and 11 months he lived with me in Huntington Beach, CA. Dad had pulled up his roots of 92 years in Missouri and moved 2,000 miles away, because he still had a sense of adventure and just wasn't ready to quit yet. From May 20, 2018 when I picked him up from LAX, he daily declared how grateful he was to be in California. He loved pointing out how different the plants were and how much he appreciated the climate. Peggy and David held a special place in his heart, and he eagerly looked forward to seeing them at the monthly gatherings of Beach Church. Being involved with Peggy during our several appearances before the Orange County Board of Supervisors didn’t phase him as he stood before them speaking along with hundreds of other Healthy Americans. The old soldier still fighting for our freedom.

Fred Clark passed away quietly one day before his 97th birthday, on April 11, 2022. Gone from our present awareness, but still alive in our hearts.

Emma Clark

Videographer for The Healthy American

Please enjoy this very special tribute to our own Fred Clark. Click to watch