One hero home

As a diligent crew from the Crescenta Valley Town Council Banners Committee continues to gather funds and install more banners along Foothill Boulevard to honor active duty military personnel, one-by-one some troops are returning home, while others prepare for deployment.

Crescenta Valley High School graduate Richard Clark, 20, returned to the United States in December. After getting situated in Fort Carson, Colo., where he now is stationed, he and his wife, Keisha returned to the foothills to spend some time with his family. Barbara Clark, step-dad, Jimmy Jordan, and brothers Chris Clark and James Jordan, both students at Crescenta Valley High, were excited at his arrival.

“It’s so good to have my baby home,” Barbara joked as she hugged her son last Friday afternoon. The 15 months Richard was overseas, patrolling the borders of Baghdad, were difficult, she said.

“I was scared to death when he signed up,” she said. “And it was the longest year of my life, while he was overseas, waiting and worrying. It’s really hard, but I wanted to support his decision. We prayed a lot for the safety of all the kids.”

On Sept. 27, 2006, two weeks before he was deployed to Iraq, Richard and Keisha Clark married. They’d met about one year earlier. The young couple decided to wed, in part, because of the urgency of the situation. They were in love, and didn’t know when or if Richard would return. “Everybody was getting married,” Richard Clark said, likening his situation to that of soldiers throughout history going off to battle. “You don’t have the option of waiting.”

While in Iraq, he depended on the support of folks back home to keep his spirits up. Hearing about the hometown heroes banners was a big part of that support, as were the packages he would receive from family and friends back home. “It’s pretty much like Christmas when you get a package. Everyone gathers around wondering what’s in there,” he said.

Clark learned about the hometown heroes banners, one of which has his name on it, while he was overseas. His mom, who is a counselor at Rosemont Middle School, was presented by the Town Council with a photo of her son’s banner. “I hadn’t heard of [other military personnel he serves with] getting anything like that. It was good to know that people back home really care,” he said.