Clarke Langrall was born in December 1924 in Baltimore, Maryland. Growing up during the Great Depression, things were not easy financially. His father owned a cannery that failed, and had no employment for four years; he eventually found meager work in the insurance business. Nevertheless, Langrall had a fun, close-knit family and a great community in which to live, and did odd jobs for pocket money. He was still in middle school when, on the day the Japanese forces attacked the United States installation in Hawaii [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], Langrall came out of a movie theater to find newsboys selling a special edition announcing "Pearl Harbor Bombed." When he got home, his mother was listening to the radio, worried about her daughter who lived on Oahu [Annotator's Note: Oahu, Hawaii] with her Navy husband. They later learned the couple was fine. Langrall said the ensuing media frenzy whipped up a tremendous sense of loyalty to the country, and stimulated manufacturing and industry. He remembers the population participating in rationing and Victory gardens, and the sense of unity that developed. It also meant that Langrall would eventually have to go into the military. He was registered with the selective service at 16, and anticipated the government's letter that began "Greetings" before the time he was 18 and a half. But, inspired by a movie, he set his sights on "Action in the North Atlantic" [Annotator's Note: 1943 Warner Bros. film starring Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey and Alan Hale starring as United States Merchant Marine sailors] and got an appointment as a student midshipman at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1943, a member of the Navy Reserves.

Military training was easy for Clarke Langrall, having been a company leader in the cadet corps when he was in high school, as well as a drum major. He entered the Merchant Marine Academy on 30 September 1943, and felt the training he received was "excellent." The instruction concentrated on how to run a ship that could supply troops around the world. Having always been interested in engineering, he chose the path known as "Engine," that focused on everything that propels a ship. It was challenging coursework, but Langrall could see the benefit of the long hours of study. When he reported to a ship on 11 January 1944 at Hawkins Point Ammunition Facility in Baltimore, Maryland after 90 days, he was a member of the engine department. There were really two government entities aboard: the mariners who ran the ship, and the Navy Armed Guard gun crew who protected it. There were 35 of each, and Langrall was there to learn and "pitch in" where necessary, so he was able to circulate and got to know everybody. The position of the cadet midshipman, a sort of officer in training, was unique. He ate in the officer's mess and worked through "sea assignments" to get his formal education, although he was subject to all the perils of the regular midshipman. He also learned a lot through the anecdotes of the "old salts" [Annotator's Note: experienced sailors]. Langrall's experiences in the civilian world while on shore leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] were always interesting. He was required to appear in uniform anytime he was among the public, which elicited a high level of appreciation, and although he had a reasonably good income, he rarely had to pay for a meal when he was ashore.

When Clarke Langrall arrived at the gate leading to his ship [Annotator's Note: SS Vernon L. Kellogg], he was checked for matches and nails on his shoes that might generate sparks, and there were fireboats at the ready. He thought the precautions were just because they were loading ammunition for the ship's guns. He later learned, after they joined a convoy of about a hundred ships that crossed the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and wound up at Port Tewfik [Annotator's Note: Port Tewfik or Port Taufiq, now Suez Port, Egypt] at the south end of the Suez Canal, that he ship was a "floating bomb." The cargo they carried was 10,000 tons of TNT that had to be unloaded offshore. The trip had taken almost a month, and they crew was always on the lookout for enemy submarines. When they entered the Mediterranean, they came under threat of Ju-88s [Annotator's Note: German Junkers Ju-88 multirole combat aircraft], but the ship was strategically placed in the convoy to avoid attack. The assault went on for four or five hours, and a couple of ships were sunk. Closer to Malta, they underwent another insignificant raid. At 19 years old, Langrall said he was "too dumb to know it was tough," and he was "up for action." He never worried about the dangers; his duty station during emergencies was on the flying bridge, operating the walkie-talkie that relayed messages to the personnel on the bridge. But he said there wasn't a lot of talking; the "blinkers" were used for communications between ships. Eventually, the rest of the convoy branched off to different points in North Africa that were stockpiling supplies in preparation for the operations in Southern France, and Langrall's ship returned from Suez with other convoys, stopping at Gibraltar, Dakar and the Gold Coast of Africa to collect cargo they brought back to New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York].

On his second voyage [Annotator's Note: as an engineering officer aboard the SS Vernon L. Kellogg], Clarke Langrall was in a convoy of over 110 ships and 18 or 19 LSTs [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] that were headed for North Africa. On the second night in the Mediterranean, combat planes came over and Langrall was "dumbfounded" by the number of tracers in the air. The LSTs were firing batteries of rockets, and "it was some kind of noisy affair." He still suffers from hearing loss because of it. A nearby ship was hit, and Langrall sustained some injuries from flying shrapnel. The ship crossed the Mediterranean, traveled down the Suez Canal, up through the Red Sea, to the very end of the Persian Gulf to Bandar Shapur, Iran, an Army installation accepting supplies for the Russians. After a week or ten days, the ship sailed down to the east coast of Africa to a neutral port and an interesting city where Langrall said, "The spies were having a great time." The ship had to be camouflaged, and no one wore a uniform on shore, so that it wasn't at all apparent that there was a war going on. The locals were all very friendly, and Langrall and three officers went out on the town. When he had more than his capacity for drink, he set off alone to return to the ship by "bum boat." He was "rolled" [Annotator's Note: robbed] and tossed into the water. He swam toward a ship he saw on the horizon, and was taken aboard a Portuguese man-o-war. They proposed to keep him prisoner until the end of the war, but were persuaded by the American consul to let Langrall go. Back on his ship, he traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by way of Cape Town, South Africa, then continued to Santos, Brazil where they picked up coffee and took it back to the west coast. There was hardly any military activity in the south Atlantic, and they traveled alone during that part of the trip.

The numbers of Clarke Langrall's first and second convoys [Annotator's Note: aboard the merchant ship SS Vernon L. Kellogg] were UGS-30 and UGS-46 respectively. Referring to his records, he described the makeup of the two groups and mused over their statistics. During his year at sea, Langrall traveled 43,008 miles, and never got seasick. He was mightily impressed by the natural power of the sea, something he had never considered before. One particular advantage to his situation was that the food was great; they had everything they wanted except fresh milk and Coca-Cola. Mail service was quite reliable and Langrall said the sailors really appreciated hearing from home. Langrall noted that people of the British colonies were "happy people," and had a "hup-to quality of law and order." There was a prevalent sense among the men that they were doing something important. In retrospect, Langrall felt the "overwhelming supply line" that the Merchant Marine maintained was instrumental in the Allied victory. He pointed out, however, that none of them felt very positive about supplying the Russians, although it did help to win the war. Langrall returned to the United States on 28 November 1945, arriving in San Pedro, California, where he was discharged. He had a long leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] before reporting to the Merchant Marine Academy [Annotator's Note: in Kings Point, New York] for graduation in January 1946, and by then the war was over.

For Clarke Langrall, there were more positive aspects of his service than negative, and he feels it was a great experience. He is sure that his time with the Merchant Marines helped him in his postwar life and career. He gained knowledge through experience, not only from an engineering standpoint, but values he would not have otherwise learned, such as respect for authority, "loyalty to a game plan," cooperation, and punctuality. It prepared him for the practical side of life. He believes it important for school aged citizens to learn something about the Second World War because it is probably the most viable example of how Americans' freedom is protected. The circumstances then "demanded victory," according to Langrall, and the war was won through dedication and full commitment. He said institutions like The National WWII Museum are an "absolute must" as a living example of the finest effort this country has ever put forth. He feels there is real value in the incorporating firsthand dialog from people who experienced the war. His message to future Americans who might view his interview is that everyone should put their shoulder to the wheel to see that the great opportunities of America are perpetuated. America has a destiny, according to Langrall, to be the world leader, helping people all over the world, in positive ways, to know what self-government is, and to live in peace.