Vets Celebrate Soldier's 100th Birthday-- Part 2: Almost Killed Twice

Vernon Clark was almost killed twice in World War II.

Once he was at a meeting on a boat carrying troops when Japanese planes suddenly appeared.  One of the planes caught fire and then the pilot came directly at his ship.  They said they had to hit the deck.  While there, they could feel the heat of the plane across their backs as it passed over.

The second time he survived when a sniper's aim was just off, putting three bullets into the wall behind him.  His son remembers him telling him that he was lucky the guy was such a bad shot.

Vernon Clark's grandsons interviewed him and his answer to whether he had ever killed anyone was quite frank:  "When it happens it's something that you realize you had to do.  You wish you you hadn't had to do it, but it was where you were at and what was going on.  It was what had to be done.  But it will make you like -- even though you know you had to do it --  that you don't ever have want to have that feeling again, but you know you will."

--GreGen