john clark

Clark's character appears first in Tom Clancy's “Jack Ryan” series, at an older age, married, with 2 grown daughters. Clancy later wrote a spin-off series about John Clark's early career, beginning in 1972. In this series, as *John Kelly, he introduces himself as a former (USN) chief bosun's mate, when in fact he was “former chief of SEALs”. He went on UDT missions (Underwater Demolition Team, precursor to the Navy SEAL program) in Vietnam, and rescued an Vice Admiral Maxwell's only son, for which he was awarded the Navy Cross. In book 1 of the John Clark series, he has just returned to Maryland from ‘Nam, when his pregnant wife Tish is killed in a car accident. He buys a boat (the Springer) to take out on the Chesapeake Bay and leases a deserted island from the U.S. Navy to live on. He meets Pam Madden and begins to heal—but then she is murdered, and Kelly seeks vengeance. Admiral Greer knows of his wartime rescues and hires him as CIA “consultant” John “Clark” to lead a black op resc…more