World War II veterans remember: Navy veteran Bill Clark was a radar operator on the destroyer escort USS J. Richard Ward DE 243, escorting convoys to and from Europe across the Atlantic ocean during World War II.

Even after some 330 military funerals, Bill Clark’s reaction to hearing taps hasn’t changed.

“When it plays, there’s always a lump in your throat,” the 92-year-old Tulsa World War II veteran said in a recent interview.

“I force myself to concentrate, though. I want to make sure I get everything right and at the right time.”

As a member of American Legion Post 1’s volunteer honor guard, Clark participated in funerals and veteran’s parades regularly for 16 years. For much of that time, he was in charge of the rifle guard....

In recognition of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2015, the Tulsa World is trying to capture and preserve some of the personal stories of veterans living in the Tulsa area.

Stories in the series "Serving Our Country: World War II Veterans Remember" will be collected at tulsaworld.com/ww2veterans.

Article written by Tim Stanley on Tulsa World. WW2live has special and granted permission from the Tulsa World to use part of this article and this video.