For the past four decades, we at Rochkind Insurance have enjoyed getting to know you and your family so we can tailor your personal insurance and commercial insurance coverage to your needs. Forming a family bond with you means everything to us, and we thought you might enjoy getting to know our family too.
On Veteran’s Day – Monday, November 11 – many of us will honor loved ones who risked all to protect our freedom by serving in the United States military. We’re especially proud of a family patriarch who selflessly served in three wars, inspiring his descendants to live lives of service to others.
In the words of his sons, Irving and Sam, Lieutenant Colonel Max Clark was “a rather small man physically, about 5’ 6 and 150 pounds, but to us he was a giant who commanded respect without demanding it.”
Max Clark began his military service at a very young age, serving under Gen. John “Blackjack” Pershing in the Mexican border campaign against Pancho Villa… and as most Texans know, that was a historic fight, one for which Max earned a medal. It would be far from his last.
Soon after, the US entered World War I, and Max was dispatched to France to serve as a First Sergeant in the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division. He stayed strong despite being wounded, earning two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star.
The future Lieutenant Colonel continued to advance his military knowledge during the 1920s and 1930s, and was commander of Galveston’s American Legion and VFW posts. He was also known for his compassion, and never turned away men who would come to the family’s shoe store seeking help during the Great Depression.
Between the wars, Max advocated for the formation of the Ball High School Junior ROTC to benefit Galveston’s youth. Some were critical, but he said – prophetically – “We are going to have to go to war to save our country and the world from the terror of Nazi Germany.” He’d seen young, untrained soldiers in battle, and knew this education would save lives. It was yet another successful battle for Max; the Galveston Rotary Club invites that ROTC unit each year to celebrate him with his family and the local Marine unit.
Max’s friends talked him into joining the Marine reserves as an officer in the late 1930s, just as the rumbles of World War II were threatening the freedoms of millions across the globe. Bound by duty to leave his wife and their two teen sons behind in Galveston, he went to China as a Captain with the Fourth Marines, and then to the Philippines in late 1941 – just a month before the war came to US shores at Pearl Harbor.
Max was wounded at both Bataan and Corregidor, and trapped with his comrades while the US was unable to get supplies to them. He refused the chance to leave Corregidor with General MacArthur, choosing to stay and lead his men with courage. Max was one of the first Marines of World War II to earn the prestigious Navy Cross, the second-highest honor in the US military, for heroic service in combat.
A 1942 newspaper article in The Shreveport Times notes that, despite his small stature, “his awards and decorations would cover a giant’s chest.” (Many of his accolades are proudly displayed here in our historic office in Galveston.)
By the time that article was written, he had already served in multiple campaigns over more than 25 years, but he refused to give up the fight. To quote Col. William Clement, a commander of much of the siege on the Philippines:
“During air raids Max would never seek shelter for himself, but invariably looked around to see where his men were and then casually strolled over to sit with a buck private in his foxhole or with a machine gun crew in a pillbox. Often, Max would look up as bombs were being released and say ‘By George, they’re dumping confetti on us.’ Major Clark was a human dynamo and absolutely fearless.”
Tragically, Max Clark was one of 3,700 POWs taken on an unmarked Japanese ship which was sunk in battle, and was lost at sea. For his many years of dedication and exceptional valor, he was posthumously awarded a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. While his sons stated that they would never forget what happened to their father, they took some comfort in knowing that he died in uniform, serving the country he loved so much.
Some visitors to Beth Jacob Cemetery on 61st St. in Galveston may not know what a valiant story is commemorated with the granite marker honoring Lt. Col. Max Clark, but it stands testament to a lifetime of bravery and service. In the words of Irving and Sam Clark, “This then, was our father, who believed and taught his two sons that this blessed country was worth fighting and dying for and he did just that.”
On Veteran’s Day, the Rochkind family hopes you’ll be inspired to recall and share stories of your own loved ones who have served in our nation’s military. We wish all of you a safe holiday filled with memories and gratitude.
