Paul Leaman Clark

Paul Clark, who served as a Fireman in the United States Coast Guard.

Clark was staffing a landing boat during a large assault on a beach in French North Africa, during World War II, when the craft's two other crew members (Richard Bucheit of St. Marys, PA and Donald LaRue of Hacketstown, N.J.) were wounded by a Luftwaffe fighter. Clark took command of the craft, took the wounded crew members to a Navy ship, for medical care, and then returned to his duties as a beachmaster. One of the wounded crew members, Donald Larue, succumbed to his wounds. Thanks to the heroic act of Paul Clark and another coastguardsman and excellent medical care, Richard Bucheit and his wife Rita (Wilhelm) raised five children. Richard died in 1984 at the age of 68.

Clark was awarded a Navy Cross. He was one of only 6 members of the Coast Guard to be awarded the Navy Cross in World War II.

Since 2010 the Coast Guard has annually awarded a deserving boat engineer an award named after Clark.

USCGC Paul Clark
In 2010 when the Coast Guard decided that all the new Sentinel class cutters would be named after Coast Guard personnel who had been recognized for their heroism Clark was one of those to be honored. The sixth cutter in the class will be named the USCGC Paul Clark. She will be homeported in Miami Florida, with the other first five cutters to be delivered.