Cecil Lee Clark

Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Lee Clark (born 1961) is a native of Gilliam, Louisiana but grew up just outside Blanchard, Louisiana. He is notable for his contributions in the publishing of the U.S. Army & Marine Corps new Counterinsurgency Field Manual and FMI 3-07.22 "Counterinsurgency Operations". He also contributed to FM 3-05.102 the "U.S. Army Special Operations Intelligence" Field Manual, as well as his work in helping revamp the obsolete Cold War scenario at the U.S. Army Special Forces "Robin Sage" Special Forces Qualification Course graduation exercise. He briefly appears in the documentary I Am an American Soldier. He is also referenced (under an alias) in the book "Not a Good Day to Die – the Untold Story of Operation Anaconda" by author Sean Naylor. He attended Northwood High School (Shreveport, Louisiana) where he lettered in football and track & field, was the Battalion Commander for the school's JROTC program, and Team Captain for the school's championship smallbore Rifle Team. He attended college at Northeast Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe) in Monroe, Louisiana where he was a Southland Conference Champion in NCAA Rifle Championship competition. He graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio-TV-Film Management. He enlisted into the U.S. Army in 1987 as an infantryman and reported to Fort Benning, Georgia. After finishing One Station Unit Training he attended Airborne School where he volunteered as a U.S. Army Ranger.

Early Military career

His first Army assignment was in Bravo Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Washington. He graduated from Ranger School then Jumpmaster School before participating in the pre-dawn airborne forces assault onto the heavily defended Rio Hato Airfield during the invasion of Panama. During the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) his unit was involved in special operations behind Iraqi lines including rescuing downed allied pilots, special reconnaissance and searching for and destroying Iraqi SCUD missiles. In 1992 he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and graduated from Pathfinders (military) School. He was then selected to attend the Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army) and was a Distinguished Military Graduate, and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry.

After finishing the Infantry Officer Basic Course he was assigned to Camp Bonifas, Republic of Korea as the Scout Reconnaissance Platoon Leader for the United Nations Command Security Battalion - Joint Security Area (Panmunjom) inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone. His Scout Platoon of 40 Soldiers was the last American forces conducting combat patrols inside the DMZ against North Korean Peoples Army infiltrators. In 1993 he escorted and briefed President Clinton and several members of his Cabinet at Observation Post Ouellette for which he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by General Gary E. Luck. In 1994 he was reassigned to the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado. While serving in the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 12th Infantry Regiment he was a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Platoon Leader, Scout Reconnaissance Platoon Leader and an Assistant Battalion S-3 Operations and Plans Officer on the Battalion Staff (military).

In early 1997 Captain Clark was transferred to the United States Army Military Intelligence branch. After graduating from the Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona he attended the Combined Arms and Services Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

In January 1998 he was assigned back to the Joint Security Area at Camp Bonifas, Korea as the Battalion S-2 Intelligence Officer. One of his first duties was to debrief North Korean defectors such as Senior Captain Byun. At the end of his second tour he had conducted over 200 combat patrols inside the Korean DMZ—more than any other U.S. Army officer currently serving on active duty.

Special Operations

In early 1999 he successfully completed a grueling selection for an elite Army Special Operations unit and was assigned to the United States Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command. Over the next several years he served in a variety of U.S. Army and Joint Special Operations assignments including Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia; Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He participated in air and ground Special Operations in Kosovo, Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Rakkasan

After he graduated from the Army’s Command and General Staff College Major Clark was hand-picked by Colonel Michael D. Steele to serve as his Regimental S2 Intelligence Officer for the 187th Infantry Regiment (Rakkasan) in the 101st Airborne Division. The Rakkasans deployed to Iraq the fall of 2005 and conducted operations primarily in Salah ad Din province. In March 2006, the brigade planned and executed Operation Swarmer, which was a joint U.S-Iraqi air assault operation targeting Islamic militant insurgents in the desert area to the northeast province of Samarra. According to the US military, it was the largest air assault in Iraq since the start of Iraq War in 2003. In addition to Operation Swarmer, the brigade conducted numerous other brigade and battalion sized operations including Operation Katrina, Operation Rita, Operations Red Light I, II and III, Operation Swift Sword, Operation Starlight, and Operation Iron Triangle.

Upon return from Iraq in the fall of 2006 Clark was assigned as the 101st Airborne Division Chief of the G2 Analysis and Control Element. He is currently serving as the Chief of the Joint Intelligence Support Element for the Combined Joint Task Force-101 at Bagram Air Base in Aghanistan.

Awards and Decorations

His awards and decorations include The Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Army Valorous Unit Award, Army Superior Unit Award, Ranger Tab, Master Combat Parachutist Badge with Bronze Service Star Device for Combat Jump; Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, British, Dutch, French and Thailand Master Parachutist Badges; and Expert Weapons Qualification Badge for both Rifle and Pistol.

Military Education & Civilian Education

Clark is a graduate of the Army's Airborne School; Ranger Course; Jumpmaster Course; Special Forces Explosives Demolition Course; Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (Sniper); Pathfinder Course; Air Assault School; Primary Leadership Development Course; Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course; United States Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course; Officer Candidate School; Infantry Officer Basic Course; Bradley Infantry Commander's Course; Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course; Combined Arms Services Staff School; Army Special Operations Advanced Land Navigation Course; Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape (SERE Level C); Special Operations Liaison Element (SOLE) Course; Joint Special Operations Staff Officers Course; Advanced Special Operations Techniques (ASOT); Command and General Staff College; and the Division G2 Intelligence Officer Course.

In addition to his Bachelor of Arts degree he has a Master of Arts degree from American Military University in Military Studies with concentration in Special Operations and Unconventional Warfare. He is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree from Troy University.

He speaks and understands Spanish and German, as well as some Korean and Arabic. In 2002 while assigned to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School he won the JSOC Combat Marksmanship Competition held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Professional Organizations

He is a member of the United States Parachute Association and has a Class C skydiving licence; Green Beret Sport Parachute Activity; National Association of Underwater Instructors; Association of the United States Army; National Rifle Association; Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association with a Private Pilot License; Association for Intelligence Officers; Military Intelligence Corps Association; 75th Ranger Regiment Association; Nightstalkers Association; and the Rakkasan Association.

Sources

*http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/world/middleeast/28abuse.html?_r=2&ref=world&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
*http://www.campbell.army.mil/NewInternet/unitpages/SpecialForces/FAQ.htm
*http://www.soc.mil/
*http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/rs21048.pdf