Proud mom mourns son who died in Iraq

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Chief Warrant Officer Donald Clark

By KATIE SEMINARA

Linda Clark of Boardman described her son as ‘very caring, fun loving and adventurous.’

BOARDMAN — For about 20 years Don Clark served his country, and his mother, Linda Clark, said he was proud to do his job.

Chief Warrant Officer Clark, a 1989 graduate of Boardman High School, died in a helicopter crash on Saturday in Mosul, Iraq.

Details of the crash were unavailable Sunday night.

Clark was deployed to Iraq in July as an Army helicopter instructor/pilot.

“He was proud to be going to Iraq. That is what he’d been training for all these years,” said Linda of her son’s willingness to serve overseas.

“He said he was going there to get his job done. That’s how he viewed it,” she said.

Right after high school ended, Clark joined the Navy and worked in electronics on a nuclear submarine.

Around 1995 Clark joined the Army and was a general’s aide at Fort Knox, Ky., where he was later named soldier of the month, quarter and year, said Linda.

Clark was most recently stationed in Fairbanks, Ala., where he was an instructor pilot for small scout helicopters.

“He loved [his job]; he loved flying,” said Linda.

“He was proud to be doing what he was doing,” she said.

Linda and her husband, Don, were notified by the Army of their son’s death Sunday morning.

“I’m just getting bits and pieces,” Linda said of not knowing the details of the accident.

She said the family will have more information after another visit with the Army this morning.

Clark is also survived by his wife, Jamie, who lives in Alabama. Clark and Jamie have four children: Danielle, Brittany, Jonathan and Bailey.

“He was very caring, fun loving and adventurous,” said Linda, who noted she was always extremely proud of her son and the life he led.

“It’s been rough all day,” she said.

As the Clarks heard the news of their son, the Sunday Vindicator ran the Operation: Holiday Cheer listings and Clark was one of the servicemen listed on the page.

“The timing was just off,” said Linda of not being able to retract her son’s information from the paper.

Operation: Holiday Cheer was created for readers to spread the holiday spirit to the men and women serving our country overseas.

kseminara@vindy.com