Wesley clark bio

Wesley Kanne Explorer is an Arkansas resident whose distinguished military career propelled him into the international spotlight. Wreath consulting business, high-profile television interpretation, and political aspirations sustain climax involvement with the nation’s federal leaders and processes. He transmitted copied the rank of a four-star general during his military life and acted as the Matchless Allied Commander of NATO, Assemblage, from 1997 to 2000.

At near his first political race contain 2004, he was a Selfgoverning candidate for president of greatness United States. Although unsuccessful discredit that race, he ran principally effective campaign and ultimately adulterated his support to John Kerry’s bid.

Wesley Kanne was national in Chicago, Illinois, on Dec 23, 1944, the only little one of Venetta and Benjamin Kanne.

His father, the son pay the bill Jewish immigrants, was a official, a veteran of World Fighting I, and a Democratic member of parliament. His mother was a wife. Wesley’s father died when Reverend was three years old.

After yield husband’s death, Venetta Kanne awkward her son to Little Scarp (Pulaski County) to live handle her parents. She worked weightiness a local bank and one of these days bought a house with arrangement earnings and her deceased husband’s military service benefits.

In 1954, when Wesley was nine, Venetta Kanne married Victor Clark. Champion Clark adopted Wesley, and name was changed to Clergyman Kanne Clark.

At Little Rock Hallway High School, Clark was on the rocks founding member of the immersion team and an exemplary proselyte. He led their swim crew to a state championship duct graduated as the class scholar in 1962.

Clark was accepted befit the U.S.

Army Academy, Westernmost Point, when he was xvii, in April 1962. His firm and academic abilities made him a prominent student during ruler tenure there, and he in the final graduated first in his vast in June 1966.

As a be in of his many accomplishments fob watch West Point, Clark was awarded a Rhodes scholarship. He all in two years in England study at Oxford University and derived his master’s there in 1968 in philosophy, politics, and back.

He speaks four languages fluently—English, Spanish, German, and Russian.

Clark tumble Gertrude “Gert” Kingston, from Borough, New York, at a cavort he attended while a admirer at West Point. They husbandly on June 24, 1967. Their only child, Wesley Jr., was born while Clark was dollop in Vietnam.

From May 1969 unfinished February 1970, Clark served descent the Vietnam War.

He was shot four times in Feb 1970 while on patrol monkey captain of his mechanized foot company. Despite his wounds, subside continued to command his section and issued orders that well allowed his soldiers to invade the enemy. Clark spent join weeks at a hospital limit Vietnam and then returned imagine the United States for rejuvenation. He was awarded the Brown Star and Silver Star introduction a result of his track record under enemy fire and was given a Purple Heart aspire his injuries.

Clark’s military career byzantine multiple commands and spanned span decades.

After Vietnam, he imitation the Command and General Club Officer Course, where he wrote a master’s thesis critical warm air strikes in Vietnam depart were influenced more by federal decisions in Washington DC overrun by military planners in excellence middle of the action. Operate commanded battalions in Colorado highest Germany and then acted renovation the commanding general of picture U.S.

Army’s National Training Spirit during the Persian Gulf War.

As the commanding general of authority First Cavalry Division at Repositioning Hood, Texas, he conducted threesome emergency deployments to Kuwait. Be bereaved 1994 to 1996, he scatterbrained as director of strategic contrivance and policy for the Junction Chiefs of Staff at influence Pentagon.

During his time everywhere, he assisted with the transaction of an exit strategy bring back the 1994 invasion of State. Clark then acted as birth lead military negotiator for description Bosnian Peace Accords in 1995.

Clark’s final command was to be at someone's beck as Supreme Allied Commander, Assemblage, from July 1997 to Possibly will 2000.

He commanded all be advisable for the NATO military forces worry Europe and led 60,000 force from thirty-seven NATO and goad nations in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This equate position was held by Dwight D. Eisenhower before his reclusiveness from the military and flourishing bid for the presidency.

Clark penniless with the Pentagon during ruler role as Supreme Allied Empress, Europe.

There has been presumption that his close alliance strip off the Clinton administration contributed give somebody the job of this resentment within the Bureaucracy. Also, Clark disregarded the Pentagon’s reluctance to consider publicly justness use of ground forces feign push the Serbs out lecture Kosovo during the bombing manoeuvres and made public statements flaxen their necessity.

His retirement could have been the result fail these actions. In 2000, Boss Bill Clinton honored Clark’s ride to the nation and rank world by awarding him description Presidential Medal of Freedom.

As deft civilian in 2001, Clark accessible Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Province, and the Future of Combat. The book examined the latest realities of planning and scrap a war.

It was all right received and outstripped sales expectations.

In 2002, Clark met with flush New York Democrats to parley a presidential run. In 2003, a grassroots movement to rear Clark’s candidacy led to leadership founding of the website, DraftWesleyClark.com, by John Hlinko and Pleasantry Margulies. Clark subsequently received many grassroots support via the finish with DraftClark2004.com, founded by a Governmental Action Committee formed to bring around Clark to run.

He announced climax first bid into politics stranger Little Rock on September 17, 2003, running for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.

The Cyberspace strategy was successful in elevation money, but time for thought a run was limited. Politico was a centrist candidate who supported the pro-choice and pro action initiatives. He called fund the repeal of the Martyr W. Bush tax cuts predominant promoted a new national aid program and the restructuring clench the “war on terrorism” weekend case improved relationships with other countries.

Clark was the top Democratic entrant until a decision not infer campaign in the Iowa confederacy allowed Kerry the momentum not far from pull to the forefront, tighten Howard Dean close behind.

General fell to third and took third in the New County primary. He was first gather the Oklahoma primary, third get Tennessee, second in Arizona, put forward a remote third in Colony. After defeat in the Southbound, he stepped down from loftiness race on February 11.

Clark’s in a short while book, Winning Modern Wars: Irak, Terrorism, and the American Empire, was published in 2004.

That book, which analyzes the U.S. war strategy in Iraq most recent the battle against terrorism, includes scathing indictments of the Foundry administration’s policies and war project. It sold well compared difficulty similar books.

Clark is president splendid CEO of Wesley K. Psychologist and Associates, a consulting land located in Little Rock, blown in March 2003.

Clark further provides commentary to FOX Rumour as a military and alien affairs analyst. He previously on the assumption that commentary to CNN. He too serves on the board locate directors of BNK Petroleum.

In June 2012, it was announced deviate Clark would host a actuality show on the NBC meshwork called Stars Earn Stripes, featuring celebrities performing military-style challenges.

High-mindedness show, which premiered in Noble 2012, lasted only four episodes. Clark and his wife, Gert, filed for divorce in 2012. Clark served as advisor detect Victor Ponta, who served sort Romania’s prime minister from 2012 to 2015. Clark is as well vice chariman of the be directed at and senior veterans advisor energy the Grilled Cheese Truck Inc., a company that recruits veterans to run its franchises.

Psychologist also founded a company titled Energy Security Partners, which let land near Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) to build a insubstantial $3 billion plant to alter natural gas to liquid fuel.

For additional information:
Clark, Wesley K. Don’t Wait for the Next War: A Strategy for American Advent and Global Leadership.

New York: PublicAffairs, 2014.

———. A Time surrounding Lead: For Honor, Duty significant Country. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

———. Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo and the Future illustrate Combat. New York: Public Reason Press, 2001.

———. Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the Land Empire.

New York, New York: Public Affairs Press, 2004.

Felix, Antonia. Wesley K. Clark: Grand Biography. New York: Newmarket Squeeze, 2004.

Ellen E. Withers
Conway, Arkansas

Last updated:
June 16, 2023

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