Army Sgt Carlton Clark
22, of South Royalton, Vermont. Clark died in Baghdad, Iraq on Aug. 6, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV while conducting a combat operations. Clark was assigned to the Army's 2nd Brigade Troop Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Died on August 6, 2006.
From the Burlington Free Press
"He didn't like crowds," said the Rev. Rebecca Delzell, who went on to wonder aloud what Clark would have made of Friday's turnout. She described him as a man of few words, sweet-natured, who "gave the best hugs in the world."
"Carl did not shy away from being a friend," she said. "He was always willing to help out."
His take on friendship was embodied in a poem he wrote in high school, read aloud during the service by Bryana Fisk, in a voice full of emotion.
"True friends will never part.
They battle as one,
And come out strong.
Here and there it's always done."
The service was broadcast by loudspeaker and closed-circuit TV to the throng outside. For more than an hour, the church, the tent and the green were an oasis of grief, prayer and reflection...
Gov. Jim Douglas, who delivered an opening eulogy, lauded Clark for defending freedoms that many Americans take for granted, and doing so with his "whole heart" in a conflicted part of the world.
"He did not die in vain," Douglas said.
For Adjutant General Michael Dubie of the Vermont National Guard, Clark exemplified one of Vermont's most honorable traditions: service to others. Army Chaplain James MacIntyre put it this way: "Carl made a conscious decision to serve our country. To uphold liberty is an act of citizenship of the highest order."
After the service, Alan and Kathleen Clark sat in the gazebo and received, on their son's behalf, a series of military honors, among them: the Gold Star Banner, presented by the American Legion; The Green Mountain Boy Flag, by Dubie; the Vermont Veterans Medal and the Vermont Distinguished Service Medal, by Douglas.
An honor guard from the 101st Airborne Division fired three rounds. Taps sounded.
At 2:15, the Clarks rose and stepped down onto the green, into the brilliant sunshine.
We honor his service and his life on Memorial Day and always.