Carl Henry Jark (June 13, 1905 – March 22, 1984) was a United States Army

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

, whose final tour of duty before retirement was as the 1962–1964 commanding general of IV Corps at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a United States Army, U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam", it is named for the first president o ...

, Texas.

Biography

Born in

Leigh, Nebraska Leigh is a village in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 405 at the 2010 census. History Leigh was founded in the 1870s. Leigh was the maiden name of the first postmaster's wife. A post office was established at Leigh i ...

, June 13, 1905, he graduated from high school in

Beatrice Beatrice may refer to: * Beatrice (given name) Places In the United States * Beatrice, Alabama, a town * Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality * Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated ...

, followed by enrollment in the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. An athletic man who stood tall, he broke the world's

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

record in 1929 at the

Drake Relays The Drake Relays is an outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa, in Drake Stadium (Drake University), Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University. Billed as ''America's Athletic Classic'', it is regarded as one ...

. Jark had originally aspired to become a military aircraft pilot, graduating from primary flight training, following his 1929 graduation from West Point. He instead pursued a career in the US Army's Field Artillery Branch, after an instructor pilot made comment on his size, being very large and heavy for the aircraft of the day. Just prior to the US entry into World War II, he was the Director of Artillery Officer Candidate School,

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark a ...

, Oklahoma. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was executive officer of the 63rd Infantry Division artillery, stationed in France and Germany. During the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, Jark was chief of operations and later deputy assistant chief of staff to the Far East Command. He was commanding general of the 7th Infantry Division, and later attached to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. As commanding general of IV Corps and Fort Sam Houston, he was also the commanding general of the

Strategic Army Corps The Strategic Army Corps (STRAC) was a command of the United States Army, with a mission of high readiness, active in the 1960s. In 1961 it was merged into the United States Strike Command (STRICOM). The word "STRAC" was also used to describe a w ...

(STRAC). His command of STRAC included overall command of multiple divisions and Army Posts, that included (but were not limited to)

Fort Polk Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. Named after New Yo ...

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...

Fort Chaffee Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, also known as Fort Chaffee, is an Arkansas Army National Guard Military base, installation located in western Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Fort Smith. Established as Camp C ...

, and

Fort Wolters Fort Wolters was a United States military installation four miles northeast of Mineral Wells, Texas. The fort was originally named Camp Wolters in honor of Brigadier General Jacob F. Wolters, commander of the 56th Cavalry Brigade of the Nationa ...

. Upon Jark's 1964 retirement after serving in uniform for 35 years, retirement ceremonies were held for him at Fort Sam Houston. To honor his service, United States Representative from the Texas 20th congressional district

Henry B. González Henry Barbosa González (born Enrique Barbosa González; May 3, 1916 – November 28, 2000) was an American Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Texas, who represented Texas's 20th congressional district from 1961 to 1999. He is the long ...

read details of Jark's military career into the ''

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Ind ...

'', closing with: Retirement ceremonies for Jark were held on base at Fort Sam Houston. Jark died on March 22, 1984, at his home in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, and was buried at

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of 2014, had over 144,000 interments. The cemetery was list ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jark, Carl 1905 births 1984 deaths Military personnel from Nebraska People from Colfax County, Nebraska United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

Biography

See also

References