Memories of battlefields strong for Vietnam veteran

Memories of battlefields strong as Vietnam veteran weighs search for those he served with
MICHAEL WANBAUGH
The Goshen News
First Posted: June 19, 2012

GOSHEN, Ind. — Here inside VFW Post 985 on a sun-splashed Wednesday afternoon, local military veterans sip their beers, puff their cigarettes and bust each other's chops.

The bartender, who knows all her customers by name, hears a song she likes on the radio and turns up the volume on Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky." More wisecracking ensues.

As the clock hits 3 p.m., out come the poker chips and on go the overhead lights as a small group splinters from the bar and takes up residence at a nearby card table.

Before long, Richard Clark Sr. strolls into the bar and orders a beer. The 61-year-old Goshen native has two more meetings left in his one-year elected tenure as commander of the post. His official last day in charge was Saturday.

"It's a lot of hours," Clark said of his position before taking a sip from his can of Coors Light. "But we have so many great volunteers that keep this place running. If it wasn't for our volunteers nothing would get done around here."

Clark lights a cigarette and sits back in his chair. He's wearing a sleeveless shirt that shows off his tan arms and tattoos. On his right bicep are the letters U.S.A. Above it is an eagle head.
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