Born in Chicago on December 23, 1944, General Clark grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1962, he graduated from Hall High School, where he led his swim team to the state championship. Always committed to public service, he went to West Point at the age of 17 and graduated at the top of his class in 1966. He also earned a Master's Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
From 1997 through May of 2000, General Clark was NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Commander in Chief of the United States European Command. In this position, General Clark led Operation Allied Force, NATO's first major combat action, which saved 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
From 1996 to 1997, General Clark served as Commander in Chief of the United States Southern Command, Panama, where he was responsible for the direction of U.S. military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
From 1994 to 1996, he served as Director for Strategic Plans and Policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff with responsibilities for worldwide U.S. military strategic planning.
General Clark is a recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. He received honorary Knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments and was made a commander of the French Legion of Honor. In August 2000, President Clinton awarded General Clark with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
An acclaimed public speaker and commentator for CNN, General Clark is the author of the best-selling Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat. In his new book, Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire, General Clark describes his vision of America's global role in the 21st century.
In the summer of 2000, General Clark joined Stephens Group, Inc., and served as a Managing Director for the financial services firm from March, 2001, through February, 2003. He was most recently chairman of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic advisory and consulting firm. He is Chairman of the Board at WaveCrest Laboratories, a firm now developing a breakthrough electric propulsion system. He also founded Leadership for America, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering the conversation about Americ's future.
Wes Clark and his wife Gert have been married for 36 years. They live in Little Rock, Arkansas and they have one son, Wesley, a screenwriter who lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Astrid Clark