Earl Ervin Clark was born in July 1919 in Londonderry, Vermont. He grew up during the Great Depression and struggled greatly. He lost his father when he was only 13 years old and as a result, he moved to Illinois to live with his uncle. During his senior year of high school, he was living at the YMCA [Annotator's Note: Young Men's Christian Association] and washing dishes in the kitchen to pay for the room. After graduating from high school in 1936, he hitchhiked from Chicago [Annotator's Note: Chicago, Illinois] to Denver [Annotator's Note: Denver, Colorado] and up into the Rocky Mountains. He eventually made it to the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Climbing the different mountain tops in the west was a blessing for him after growing up in Chicago. He met several significant mountaineers of the time including Paul Petzoldt, who took Clark under his wing when he was 17. Clark remained there until the fall of 1936, and then returned to Chicago. He found a job with a company as an office boy and stayed with them until March 1942 when he joined the Army. His job allowed him to take a leave of absence in the summers so he could continue his passion of rock climbing. He learned about the Army starting an experimental mountain group, the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment in 1941, 90 days before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He decided to enlist in the service as soon as he returned to Chicago.

For Earl Ervin Clark to be selected for the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, he had to submit three letters of recommendation. After he was approved, he received orders in February 1942 and reported for active duty at Fort Lewis, Washington in March for induction. He was then sent to Fort Roberts, California for basic training for three months. His first sergeant at basic training recommended him to apply for officer candidate school (OCS). Clark was selected for OCS and sent to Fort Benning, Georgia in July 1942 and commissioned in the following October. Upon graduation, Clark was reassigned to the 1st Battalion, 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment and sent to Camp Carson, Colorado. After the completion of Camp Hale [Annotator’s Note: Camp Hale, Colorado] in November 1942, the 87th Mountain regiments regrouped there. He was assigned as a ski instructor and supervisor to the troops. Because Clark was small in stature and weighing only 118 pounds, he was skipped over numerous times to lead a platoon.

In May 1943, Earl Ervin Clark and the 87th Mountain Infantry [Annotator's Note: 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division] were ordered to invade Kiska [Annotator's Notes: Kiska, Aleutian Islands, Alaska] to take the island back from the Japanese. They first stopped at Fort Ord, California for amphibious training then landed on the island. However, they soon found out that the Japanese had already departed from the island. Clark commented how the Japanese left all their equipment behind. Debris was scattered all over the island. They had blown the bridges and their heavy artillery. They also set numerous booby traps and mines around the island. His regiment suffered casualties due to these traps, and from friendly fire when they first landed on the island. His best friend was killed during the firefight. He also witnessed a Navy destroyer hit a Japanese mine and sink in 20 minutes. During this time Clark was assigned as an assistant regimental supply officer in the regimental headquarters. He stayed on Kiska for a month, and then transferred to Attu [Annotator's Note: Attu, Aleutian Islands, Alaska] to train a garrison company for three months on how to survive an Arctic winter. He taught them how to ski, snow shoeing, and survival skills. He rejoined his regiment on Kiska and then returned to Colorado to Camp Hale in December 1943. [Annotator's Note: There is a long pause in the interview as the interviewer adjusts the camera at 0:20:00.000.]

Earl Ervin Clark and 87th Mountain Infantry [Annotator's Note: 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division] returned to Colorado after their tour in the Aleutian Islands [Annotator's Note: Aleutian Islands, Alaska] in December 1943. He had been promoted to First Lieutenant and given a platoon then made the company executive officer at Camp Swift, Texas. He then was transferred into headquarters as an S4 [Annotator's Note: supply officer] later in 1944. When his regiment was sent to Italy, he had to coordinate getting supplies by way of mules. Clark and his regiment left the United States and landed in Naples, Italy in December 1944 on the USS West Point (AP-230). After they landed in Italy, they made a trek to meet the rest of their division near Florence [Annotator's Note: Florence, Italy]. Clark made it to the assembly point by a fishing boat. His regiment continued into the Arno River Valley towards the combat zone. During this time, Clark remembered that there was no major battle, but a lot of patrol missions were conducted. Clark was responsible for an Italian company of men that supplied and led the mules. Every night, the mules were packed with American supplies and were led to the front. They tried to put killed in action men on the mules for their return, but the mules would go ecstatic. Killed in action men were later led out by stretchers or vehicles. Clark helped capture Mount Belvedere and other key mountain peaks during February 1945 after two days of bitter fighting. This feat was a difficult one because there were two previous failed attempts to capture the key defense position. This event was Clark's baptism of fire. The Germans had discovered they were on their mountain, and Clark remembered that the nigh was dead quiet when suddenly German guns were heard going off. He recalled the German Army used all the fire power they had to attempt to driver the Americans off, like they did on two previous occasions. According to Clark, this defeat of Germany helped spearhead the downward spiral and eventual surrender of the German Army in Italy a few weeks later. In April 1945 they spearheaded the Northern Apennines offensive and his regiment overcame every obstacle, including the Po River Valley.

Earl Ervin Clark and 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment crossed the Po River in Italy as the lead unit. Because Clark was the supply officer, he had to find a way to transport goods across the river. He borrowed amphibious DUKWs vehicle from the engineering unit coming up from the rear. He used those vehicles to transport ammunition and materials across the river. He was able to create a large supply point on the north bank of the river which allowed the troops to move rapidly towards the Alps. For his ingenuity, he received a Bronze Star [Annotator's Note: the Bronze Star Medal is the fourth-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy]. During that mission, the Germans consistently blasted Clark's unit with air bursts shells. Clark befriended an Italian lieutenant who was assigned to him during the Italy Campaign. [Annotator's Note: Part of Clark's job was to use mules to transport supplies to the front lines. The Americans had to work with an Italian company to secure the mules, and that is how he met his friend.] They kept in touch after the war and remained close friends up until his friend's death. Clark and his unit continued to chase the Germans North. The Germans eventually held up in Lake Garda [Annotator's Note: Lake Garda, Italy]. Using the DUKWs and tunnels, the 87th Mountain Infantry moved up the lake, gaining on the German's position. The Germans gave the Americans unrelenting resistance during this campaign. When Clark's unit reached a small town called Riva Del Garda, they learned that the Germans had surrendered. [Annotator's Note: A telephone rings in background at 0:47:15.000.] Clark remarked that another unit in his division were given orders to take over Benito Mussolini's [Annotator's Note: Italian fascist dictator Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini; also know as il Duce] retreat villa, which they did. However, Mussolini and his mistress had already escaped, but were later captured and killed by partisans.

After the successful completion of their mission at Lake Garda, Italy, Earl Ervin Clark and 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment [Annotator's Note: 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division] received orders to attack the city of Trento [Annotator's Note: Trento, Italy] that had a supply depot. As they were wheeling into position to take to city, his unit was abruptly halted. They learned that the Germans had surrendered and the mission to attack the city was canceled. There was no celebration at first but came a few days later. They returned to Lake Garda and occupied a villa. They soon found out that one of the warehouses in the city of Trento had thousands of bottles of champagne and cognac. The officers decided to give out a bottle of each of the troops with their rations. Clark took a leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy]. Five days later he was ordered to return to his unit. The division moved to the Isonzo River Valley and joined the British Eighth Army in preventing further westward movement of ground forces from a Marshal Tito [Annotator's Note: Josip Broz Tito; president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia] partisan brigade. By this time, Clark had advanced to S2 [Annotator’s Note: intelligence officer]. There was a miscommunication and Clark were surprised when a brigade of Yugoslavian partisans entered his zoned area. He was supposed to be notified that the brigade was just passing through and would not open fire. Luckily, no fire was exchanged, and the partisans peacefully walked out into the direction of Yugoslavia. After this mission was completed, Clark enjoyed a short period of skiing and mountaineering until his division received orders to return to the United States to restage and prepare for the invasion of Japan. Clark recalls the Germans fighting like hell and he could not help but have respect for them. They surrendered en masse. Clark's unit took over 20,000 prisoners in the last weeks leading up to the surrender. Clark took their weapons and told them to start walking to the rear of the line.

Earl Ervin Clark says that the 10th Mountain Division [Annotator's Note: Clark was a regimental staff officer in the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division] was trained very well which led to the successful mission in the Apennine Mountains in the beginning of 1944. Clark and the 87th Mountain Regiment took a small village, Castel D'Aiano [Annotator's Note: Castel D'Aiano, Italy], cutting the German's supply and communication into the Po Valley. Most of Clark's combat was fighting uphill to meet the enemy. It was a constant endurance struggle that his regiment successfully conquered. His unit was able to move the Germans back quite easily once they made their initial attack. There regiment was given leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] for about three weeks. Clark took a trip to Florence [Annotator's Note: Florence, Italy]. When they returned, Clark and his unit began to advance into the Po Valley in April 1945. On 14 April 1945, Bob Dole [Annotator's Note: Robert Joseph Dole, American politician, statesman, and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996], a platoon leader in the 10th Mountain Division, was severely wounded and taken back to the United States. Clark was assigned as a supply officer and he recalled the most difficult part of his job was having to shoot the wounded animals after they had been injured by shelling from the Germans. [Annotator's Note: Clark remarked earlier that he used mules to transport supplies to the troops. It was the most effective way for goods to travel.] However, his unit was very successful in transporting goods to the front for the troops. After Clark and his unit crossed the Po River, Clark was promoted to intelligence officer at the end of the war. His mission was to prevent westward movement of ground forces from one of Marshal Tito's [Annotator's Note: Josip Broz Tito; president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia] partisan brigade. He recalls being nervous about possibly taking action against General Tito, and then possibly with the Russians. Clark and his unit would not survive due to the being outnumbered. Luckily, General Tito withdrew from any possible action against the Americans. Clark realized that the locals knew that General Tito and his partisan were going to remain in the area, after the Americans returned to the United States. Clark saw how the locals began to wear communist symbols as a preparation of what would come to be.

Earl Ervin Clark [Annotator's Note: while serving as a supply officer for the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Infantry Division] supervised a group of Italian soldiers to help transport materials to the front using mules. Most of these soldiers were from the south of Italy. The soldiers were very well trained in caring and leading the animals, but they were no way prepared for combat. He does not recall any problems between the Italian soldiers and the American soldiers in Clark's unit. Clark remarks that after the war, many men of the 10th Mountain Division and the German mountain soldiers developed a warm relationship with each other. The 10th Mountain Division reunion group associated themselves with one of the German mountain Infantry after a meeting that occurred in New England. The Germans wanted to lay a wreath in the 10th Mountain Division's honor by their war memorial in Bavaria [Annotator's Note: Bavaria, Germany]. Clark and others in the reunion group permitted the act. A couple months later they had a reunion in Germany and went up to the mountain to see the memorial and wreath. This event became the foundation of the founding of the International Federation of Mountain Soldiers, or IFMS, in 1985. Clark believes that the founding of IFMS was one of the greatest postwar contributions that the men of the 10th Mountain Division made.

Earl Ervin Clark believes that World War 2 changed him dramatically. He went from being a poor kid washing dishes to becoming a second lieutenant in the Army in a matter of years. After World War 2, he rose the lieutenant colonel through active Reserves. Those successes created the confidence in himself that gave him success in the business world. Clark believes America today is different than during World War 2 because the people of this country were fighting a foreign enemy. Today the people of America are in a totally different mindset because we are not under attack and fighting in an unpopular war [Annotator's Note: Iraq War]. He believes that the future generations will survive if America can prove itself as powerful again, so the country can defend itself under any circumstance. Clark believes world realized how close they came to the domination of a mad man. Clark sees that fall out of the war that the Western powers recognized what almost happened, and the Eastern powers did as well but reacted differently. Russia believed that they had to always have an enemy for the people to unite against. So, after the defeat of Germany, the United States took that place. When the people of Russia realized America was not an enemy, the Soviet Union broke apart. Clark feels that World War 2 had a fantastic effect on the change of geography. The United States is unique because we helped enemies rebuild their countries. Clark believes the mistakes during World War 2 were during the Allied conferences. Decisions were made in favor to the Russians that eventually led to the Cold War. Clark believes that the significance of have The National WWII Museum because modern generations must know the story. Schools and history textbooks are insufficient. The young generations do know what happened, and why it happened. Having a museum, it is one vital avenue to share the story of World War 2.

Earl Ervin Clark and the 10th Mountain Division were returning by sea when they heard about the United States dropping atomic bombs on Japan. The division was on its way back to America to prepare for the invasion of Japan. Their orders were cancelled and most of men in the division were separated from the Army soon after. In November 1945, the 10th Mountain Division was inactivated at Camp Carson [Annotator's Note: Camp Carson, Colorado]. The Division was reactivated 40 years later and became one of the most deployed divisions in the Army.