FORT BENNING, GA—Sergeant Major (Retired) Joe Clark, a Crawford County native, was inducted into the prestigious Ranger Hall of Fame on July 13, 2022, at Fort Benning, GA. for meritorious service in both peacetime and while conducting combat operations in multiple theaters throughout his career with the 75th Ranger Regiment, US Army Special Operations Command, and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
SGM (R) Clark entered the Army in June of 1986, immediately after his graduation from Bucyrus High School. Ranger Clark began his career with A company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, in Savannah, GA. A few years afterward, in early morning of December 20, 1989, he, along with the entire 75th Ranger Regiment, conducted a low-level combat parachute assault into Panama in an effort to capture General Manuel Antonio Noriega, the Panamanian dictator and bring him back to the US to face drug-smuggling charges.
In December 1991, Ranger Clark, along with the 1st Ranger Battalion, conducted a parachute jump into Ali Al Salem Airfield, Kuwait (followed by a 50km overland movement and live fire exercise) as a tactical show-of-force against Saddam Hussein as tensions began heating up and it appeared he was once again on the warpath with Kuwait.
In a subsequent assignment with the 75th Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment (RRD), Ranger Clark deployed on a USSOCOM-directed Joint Task Force reconnaissance operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During his time with the 75th Ranger Regiment, SGM (R) Clark was selected to participate in the arduous Best Ranger Competition four times, finishing all four times with different Ranger buddies.
In 2001 SGM (R) Clark was assessed and selected for a USSOCOM Special Missions Unit (SMU). In response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, SGM (R) Clark deployed repeatedly in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).
After serving in the US Army for over 23 years, Ranger Clark retired in 2009 after a distinguished career in the US Army.
Since retired from US Army Special Operations, SGM (R) Clark instructs/ develops programs of instruction in all forms of Personnel Recovery, SERE, Safety, and Security for High Risk of Capture personnel in the US Government and International Partners.
Throughout his career, SGM (R) Clark exemplified excellence and unparalleled leadership. Ranger Clark set the example for others to follow, always choosing the toughest assignments and living the Ranger Creed.
SGM (R) Clark said during his induction speech, “This experience has been incredibly humbling and I’m honored to be an inductee of the Ranger Hall of Fame.”
He continued, “Any success that I have can be directly attributed to the leaders I’ve had and the loyalty of those who were part of my team. None of us got here by ourselves. We all rely on mentors, family, and friends along the journey.”
Background info on Ranger Hall of Fame: Formed in 1992, the Ranger Hall of Fame serves the exclusive purpose of honoring and preserving the contributions of America’s most extraordinary Rangers, a difficult mission given the high caliber of all nominees. To be eligible for selection, a person must have served in a Ranger unit in combat or be a successful graduate of the US Army Ranger School. Inductees are impartially selected from the Ranger community and represent all units and eras of Ranger history. Nearly 200 Rangers have ever been inducted into the Ranger hall of fame.
The ceremony was held at Ft. Benning, GA, where each inductee was presented with an engraved, specially cast bronze Ranger Hall of Fame medallion (shown above) suspended from a red, white and blue ribbon. The medal signifies selfless service, excellence, and remarkable accomplishment in defense of the nation and to the highest ideals of service.