General Wesley Clark: U.S. Military Individual and Unit Decorations

General Wesley K. Clark (U.S.A., Retired), former Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, retired as one of the nation's most highly decorated military officers since General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

His leadership experiences have taken him from Vietnam to Latin America and ultimately to the position of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, where he led a unified force to victory in NATO's first major combat action. Clark commanded all NATO forces to success in the important Kosovo conflict, saving 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing without a single Allied casualty.

Among his many military decorations, Clark is a four-star general who has been awarded the Silver Star, five Defense Distinguished Service Medals, four Legion of Merit Awards, two Army Distinguished Service Medals, two Bronze Star Medals and the Purple Heart.

In addition to numerous civilian honors, General Clark has received more than 20 major international awards including honorary Knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments and was made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor.

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Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters) Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster) Silver Star Medal Legion of Merit (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) Bronze Star The Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster) Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster) Kosovo Campaign Medal Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

National Defense Service Medal (with Service Star) Army Staff Identification Badge Viet Nam Service Medal (with 3 Service Stars) Combat Infantry Badge Parachutist Badge (Airborne) Ranger Tab The Army Service Ribbon

Joint Meritorious Unit Award

Presented by: Army General Henry H. [Hugh] Shelton
May, 2000

The Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the only ribbon award granted by The Department of Defense, is given in recognition of organizations for outstanding heroism or exceptionally meritorious achievement or service performed during periods of war, international tension, national emergencies, or extraordinary situations that involve national interests.

The award was established by Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger in 1981 (and made retroactive to 1979), filling a void for the increasing numbers of events involving joint units rather than separate services or individuals.

Army General Henry H. [Hugh] Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, opened the May 2000 Stuttgart ceremony and presented European Command with the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the highest recognition awarded to a joint organization.

General Shelton said, of Clark:

Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters)

The Defense Distinguished Service Medal (DDSM) is a United States military award presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States. The decoration is awarded only at the highest levels of the military while assigned to a joint activity. The DDSM may also be awarded to other senior officers whose direct and individual contributions to national security or defense are recognized as being so exceptional in scope and value as to be equivalent to contributions normally associated with positions encompassing broader responsibilities. General Clark received this award on five separate occasions.

It is the United States's highest peacetime defense award.

The five occasions on which General Clark was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal are:

Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster)

The Distinguished Service Medal is a high level military and civilian decoration of the United States of America, issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United States armed forces. The performance must be such as to merit recognition for service which is clearly exceptional. Outstanding performance of normal duty will not alone justify an award of this decoration.

The medal is awarded by the President to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility in time of war or in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United States.

Silver Star Medal

Captain Clark was shot four times and seriously wounded by Viet Cong while commanding a mechanized infantry company in the jungles of Vietnam. He continued to give his men orders, despite his injuries, and his company was able to overwhelm the enemy positions. For bravery in battle, 25 year-old Clark was honored with the Silver Star.

Lt. Gen. James Hollingsworth, one of our Army's most distinguished war heroes, says:

Clark’s citation for Silver Star states,

Legion of Merit (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)

General Clark was awarded the Legion of Merit honor on four occasions:

1. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe 1979,
2. Dept. of the Army Staff 1984,
3. Military Junior College 1986, and
4. Military Junior College 1991.

An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on military awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the second and subsequent award of the decoration.