CLARK A. HOOD, JR., LT, USN

Clark Hood, Jr. '35

Date of birth: August 9, 1912

Date of death: June 11, 1942

Age: 29

Lucky Bag

From the 1935 Lucky Bag:

CLARK ALEXANDER HOOD, JR.

Nocona, Texas

"Joe" "Stumpy"

FROM the rolling plains of the great, wide open spaces comes Joe, Texas' gift to the Service. Born and reared in Nocona, "a small town near Dallas, Texas, sir," this tall son is truly a product of which his native city may rightfully be proud. Every inch, all seventy-six of em, an athlete, Joe has distinguished himself in four sports, ranging from football to crew, (his favorite), and at which there are few better. In all his varied activities Joe's only really tough opponent has been Old Man Academics, and even he has not been too tough. Gentlemen Joe Hood, outstanding athlete, conscientious student, perfect companion, thorough gentleman and all-around swell fellow!

Football 4, 2, 1, NA. Crew 4, 3, 2, 1, N. Captain 1. Basketball 2, N. Boxing 3, Numeral. Regimental C.P.O.

CLARK ALEXANDER HOOD, JR.

Nocona, Texas

"Joe" "Stumpy"

FROM the rolling plains of the great, wide open spaces comes Joe, Texas' gift to the Service. Born and reared in Nocona, "a small town near Dallas, Texas, sir," this tall son is truly a product of which his native city may rightfully be proud. Every inch, all seventy-six of em, an athlete, Joe has distinguished himself in four sports, ranging from football to crew, (his favorite), and at which there are few better. In all his varied activities Joe's only really tough opponent has been Old Man Academics, and even he has not been too tough. Gentlemen Joe Hood, outstanding athlete, conscientious student, perfect companion, thorough gentleman and all-around swell fellow!

Football 4, 2, 1, NA. Crew 4, 3, 2, 1, N. Captain 1. Basketball 2, N. Boxing 3, Numeral. Regimental C.P.O.

Loss

Clark was lost when the B-24 bomber he was aboard was shot down near Kiska Harbor, Alaska, on June 11, 1942. He was a pilot with Patrol Squadron (VP) 42 but was aboard as an observer. The aircraft and crew were members of the USAAF's 11th Air Force, 28th Bombardment Group, 21st Bombardment Squadron.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Clark was Vice President of his senior class at Nocona High School in 1929. “If the ladder of fame turns topsy-turvy I’ll be on the top.” Assistant editor of the yearbook and Vice President of the drama club who played in “The Trunk from India” and “The Pioneer’s Papoose.” On Senior Student Night, Clark won the Best All Around Boy contest. “Had Clark A. known he was going to be the Best All Around Boy I don’t believe he would have shown his “girlish figure” in one of the latest ladies dresses from Paris.” In the Declamation section, it was noted that Clark won first place in the county Interscholastic meet. He had declaimed “for several years and has often won first place in the county.” Basket ball.
From the Fort Worth Star Telegram, October 24, 1942:

A naval officer from Nocona, Lt. Clark A. Hood Jr., who lost his life which serving as a volunteer navigator on an Army Air Forces Liberator bombing plane, has been posthumously awarded the Army’s Air Medal by Maj. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., commanding general of the Alaska Defense Command.
Lieutenant Hood was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Hood of Nocona. He was an outstanding athlete at Nocona High School, from which he was graduated in 1929. His great height, 6 feet 3 inches, also made him a basket ball star and he was a member of the champion Terrall Preparatory School team in Dallas.
After studying a year at Marion Institute, Marion, Ala., he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy and he was graduated with honors at Annapolis in 1935. He lettered in crew, track and basket ball at Annapolis.
His first conspicuous service was in the Far East. He wore the Chinese Service Medal and was commended by Admiral Yarnell in 1939 when he was an officer on the Destroyer Pope, steamed through 40 Japanese warships to land a United States consul at Swatow, China, after the Japanese commander had ordered the Pope to halt.
The Pope and another destroyer, the Pillsbury, stood by on the next day as the Japanese launched a sea and air attack on Swatow and took the city.
In the Aleutian incident which cost his life, Lieutenant Hood was credited with successfully placing the big Consolidated bomber over its target, a Japanese naval concentration at Kiska Harbor, when heavy and accurate antiaircraft fire brought the Liberator down in flames.
Unofficial reports said the plane’s bomb rack was hit, exploding its bombs. The entire crew was listed as missing in action.
Lieutenant Hood is survived by his widow, Mrs. Pauline Hood of San Diego, his parents, and a sister, Mrs. Bob Thompson of El Paso.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in Texas.

Distinguished Flying Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Clark Alexander Hood, Jr. (NSN: 0-74902), United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in June 1942. In addition to flying all-night patrols in contact with the enemy, he voluntarily accomplished the first bombing mission against Japanese vessels in Kiska Harbor. With utter disregard for his own personal safety, he carried on tirelessly and courageously until he was shot down. His eager acceptance of responsibility and his conscientious devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 313 (April 1943)
Action Date: June 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant

Photographs

From his high school yearbook
From his high school yearbook
From Fort Worth Star Telegram on June 24, 1934

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.