For God and Country
From a Grateful Nation
 
Official Report
On Nov. 8, Staff Sergeant Clinton Lee Wisdom (left picture) and Specialist Don Allen Clary (right picture) were killed in action. Both soldiers were members of Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery. They died protecting fellow Americans from an attacking vehicle- borne improved explosive device while acting as part of a security team for a convoy.
The incident occurred shortly after leaving the bubble around Baghdad International Airport. A vehicle approached the convoy down a merging ramp. It came on very fast and continued to gain speed. Without hesitation and with complete disregard for the their personal safety, they swerved to position their vehicle between the principal they were protecting and the approaching threat as the threat vehicle exploded. This allowed the principal's vehicle to evade the full force of the blast and the principal and three others to leave the scene unharmed. Staff Sgt. Wisdom and Spec. Clary were killed by that explosion. A third soldier was wounded in action, and a fourth soldier was injured in the actions taken immediately after the explosion.
All families involved have been informed. The actions of the Bravo Battery soldier on Nov. 8 epitomize the battalion motto, Semper Parvo Meliores, "Always a Little Better." What they did was awesome in the complete sense of the word. In a moment of grace, they laid it on the line and gave themselves in the place of their comrades. Their country could have asked no more, and being what they were, they could give no less. They are heroes in every way.
Joy Moser
Spokeswoman for the
Kansas National Guard
The two field-artillery soldiers deliberately positioned themselves in front of an approaching bomber driving another vehicle. The approaching vehicle exploded, killing the two men. "In carrying out their mission - to protect someone in their charge - these men exhibited the greatest commitment a soldier can have to his duty, his country and his fellow soldiers," said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the adjutant general of Kansas. "We've got two heroes here. They were willing to do what they had to do in an area that's as dangerous as it gets." The actions of the two men allowed the protected vehicle to survive the attack and leave the scene, National Guard officials stated. Don was part of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery, a unit normally stationed in Atchison, Kan.
Posthumous promotions
given to Kansas Soldiers
Posted on Sat, Nov. 13, 2004
Kansas City Star
TOPEKA � Posthumous promotions have been bestowed upon the first Kansas Army National Guard soldiers to die in combat since the Vietnam War.
The Kansas Adjutant General's Department announced Friday that Staff Sgt. Clinton Lee Wisdom, 39, of Atchison, was promoted to sergeant first class, and Spc. Don Clary, 21, of Troy, was promoted to sergeant.
The soldiers, who were members of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery, died Monday in Baghdad after they put their vehicle between a convoy they were assigned to protect and a vehicle driven by insurgents. The vehicle exploded.
They were on the promotion list when they died but had not yet received their new rank.
Clary's funeral will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Troy High School. He will be buried at Courter Cemetery in Troy.
Wisdom's funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at First Christian Church in Atchison. Burial will be at the Walnut Grove Cemetery south of St. Joseph, the Kansas Adjutant General's Department said.
The 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery has units from Abilene, Atchison, Concordia, Marysville, Horton, Sabetha, Salina and Troy. It was mobilized for duty in Iraq in November 2003 and trained at Fort Riley before heading overseas.
Mourners gathered at the
First Christian Church in Atchison
to pay tribute to
Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wisdom
Family members escorted Janet Wisdom, out of the First Christian Church in Atchison following funeral services for her late husband, Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wisdom on Thursday afternoon.
The life of Kansas Army National Guard, Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Lee Wisdom was celebrated as hundreds of mourners gathered at his funeral service to pay tribute Thursday at the First Christian Church in Atchison.
Sgt. Wisdom, 39, of Atchison, and Sgt. Don Allen, 21, Troy, died in combat as they thwarted a terrorist attack Nov. 8, while protecting a convoy in Baghdad, Iraq.
Both soldiers were members of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery, headquartered in Hiawatha.
About midway through the funeral service Sgt. Wisdom�s widow, Janet grasped a microphone, stood front and center on a platform positioned behind the pulpit and wailed a heart-filled bluesy rhythmic rendition of �Amazing Grace� and �Jesus, Lover of My Soul� accompanied by The Praise Team Band.
Mrs. Wisdom is a leader of the band that is comprised of musicians from The First Christian Church and the New Life Assembly of God Church.
�I want everyone to know Clinton would hate this,� Mrs. Wisdom said before she began to sing.
�But he is not here to stop me,� she added. �He did not want a fuss.�
As she sang, her voice was heard loud and clear as she waved her hand high in praise and at times clenched her raised fist to the music.
After she returned to her seat, she wept and was consoled by family members.
Chaplain Otha Kelley eulogized Sgt. Wisdom as a friend and co-worker and a husband who loved to hear his wife sing.
Chaplain Kelley worked with Sgt. Wisdom at the Atchison Casting and Intercontinental Corporation of Kansas City, Mo. He is also the chaplain at Valley Hope where Mrs. Wisdom is employed.
�At the New Life Assembly of God Church, Janet would be up front and lead the Praise Band and Clint would sit in the back and listen to her sing,� Chaplain Kelley said.
Sgt. Wisdom was a highly skilled, certified welder, whom Chaplain Kelley said he has known since the 1990s. Chaplain Kelley was his supervisor when they worked together.
He described Sgt. Wisdom as an extraordinary person and a leader, who could have had a management position, but instead he chose to be a union representative.
�Everyone who knew you Clint will miss you,� Chaplain Kelley said. �We all loved you, but God loved you best.
�Be laid down Clinton. You are my hero,� he added as he looked over at the casket.
Chaplain Kelley said the military was in Sgt. Wisdom�s blood and made references to The Book of Psalms.
�Sleep on my friend and take your rest,� Chaplain Kelley said as he bid Sgt. Wisdom a farewell. �We will see you in the rapture.�
Sgt. Wisdom�s brother-in-law, Rex Strayer approached the pulpit, thanked everyone for coming to celebrate Sgt. Wisdom�s life. Then asked members of the military to stand.
�Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wisdom is not only a casualty of war,� Mr. Strayer said as he pointed to the flag draped casket. �But he is a symbol of liberty, truth, justice and the American way.�
Mr. Strayer further described Sgt. Wisdom as a symbol for soldiers, �never turning their backs on a single solitary soul.�
He referred to Sgt. Wisdom as a symbol of the men and women who serve for freedom.
�We give you our son, brother, husband, father and friend �� a hero and true American soldier,� Mr. Strayer said.
After Mrs. Wisdom sang, Lt. Col. Larry Parrish, chaplain for the 130th Field Artillery, shook his head at her tribute, and said �Wow.�
He described Sgt. Wisdom as a man who couldn�t sing and dance, but was artistic in many ways. He was a welder, a lover of animals and fishing.
He said Sgt. Wisdom was very smart and creative and always wanted to protect others.
�Above all else, he was a soldier,� Col. Parrish said.
Col. Parrish said Sgt. Wisdom�s military duty �was like an itch you can�t scratch �� something you have to do but can�t put into words.
�He was always worried about the guys under his supervision,� he added.
Col. Parrish turned to the casket and saluted as he described Sgt. Wisdom as a determined soldier.
The Rev. Lee Hendon, pastor of the First Christian Church, said it was an honor to celebrate the life of Sgt. Wisdom.
�He has left footprints in our lives,� the Rev. Hendon said.
He described Sgt. Wisdom as symbolic of the shepherd in scriptures �� he gave his life to protect the flock.
Sergeant Don Allen Clary
Memorialized with Full Military Honors
The Troy High School gym was overflowing; hundreds of friends, family and fellow guardsman attended to pay their respects to their fallen soldier.
The Clary family requested media remain outside the gym during the memorial ceremony.
Governor Kathleen Sebelius attended, arriving in a Blackhawk helicopter with other Kansas soldiers.
Clary will be laid to rest in Courter Cemetery in Troy, Kansas. The city of Troy often brings to mind heroic tales of ancient Greeks. But this Troy is home to a true American hero.
After the ceremony, the funeral procession moved to Courter Cemetery outside Troy, where a military chaplain and family minister Don Harter conducted graveside services.
Don Clary died November 8 in Iraq. He and Sergeant First Class Clinton Wisdom drove their vehicle in front of an oncoming enemy vehicle, saving the lives of other soldiers in a convoy.
The emotional service left family and friends with feelings of pride, pride in a man who's bravery cost him his life in service to his country.
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