The Oldest Looper

I have seen him several different times along American's Great Loop... this man with a constant smile and seemingly tons of bubbling energy.  His name is Hank Clark and rumors abounded as to his age with most saying he was 84 years old.  It is hard to catch him when he is not reading a mystery novel.... but finally, yesterday I asked him if I could interview him for my blog.   Now wouldn't you think we would go some place and sit?  Nope!  He stood talking to me for a long time!  As you can see he has a great smile and I can tell you his attitude is such that I want to be just like him when I grow up!

He asked me what I wanted to know and I just jumped right in with the personal question of age.  He is 90 years old and as a Marine he fought in WWII, Korea and Vietnam!   Right away he gave testimony of his strong faith in God and how many times in war he nearly died but God kept him alive! This, he said, was probably because God wasn't finished with whatever God wanted him to do on earth.  He teared up a few times talking about a comrade that died in his arms. This fatally wounded soldier had been an atheist but died knowing God thanks to Hank.

For 26 years he was involved in baseball for the Marines, either playing or managing. 

He told lots of stories but I especially liked the one about a Catholic priest. During one of the war times while stationed overseas, Hank became friends with a priest.   During this time also “Charlie”, an enemy pilot flew over their camp every afternoon and dropped a bomb... it was just for harassment as no one was ever hurt by the bomb and no one ever tried to shoot Charlie down.   One day a friend of Hank's, this priest, came running & asked Hank to come with him to get some cases of beer. Hank jump into a jeep with this priest and off they went to a fenced in area where these cases of beer were kept.

The priest surprised Hank by pulling out some wire cutters and started cutting the fence and soon there was a big enough hole to get a case of beer through it. They began lifting several cases from this yard to the jeep. They were now back in the jeep moving fast when Charlie flew over, dropped his afternoon bomb which startled the priest so much that he jerked the wheel and turned the jeep over.  They jumped out and righted the jeep...then they started recovering the beer.  But the priest only put one case in and then got behind the wheel urging Hank to get into the jeep too.  Hank said, “No, come help me get the rest of the beer!” Still the priest insisted he stop and get into the jeep.  Hank only stopped and got in after the priest yelled, “I also stole the jeep  so com' on!”

Here is Hank with his family, daughter, Melesia and son in law, Tom, in front of their motor vessel, “Journey”.

Hank began the trip with them in Swansboro, North Carolina and will continue with them to the Loopers Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler Marina in Rogersville, AL. Then they will go back up the TN River to Chattanooga to deliver him to his home there.  

I ask Hank what he liked best about the Loop trip and he said it was “not about the destination but about the relationships”.  He has enjoyed meeting so many nice folks.  He is a JOY to be around and we are so glad to have met him!

Tomorrow, not too early, we will depart this dock and head across the Barkley canal to the Tennessee River (Kentucky Lake) and head up the River for many days as we kill time... in other words we are about to go on vacation.  Ha!  We can not go below Demopolis, AL, before November 1^st.  Our boat insurance doesn't allow us to enter hurricane territory before the end of the storm season.   So the Captain figured we need to make only 12 miles a day to make it there by then.  We are looking forward to dropping the anchor and reading a book or two and enjoying this awesome Adventure even more!