“Join the Navy and see the world!” That was a popular slogan for Navy recruiters at one point. David Clark didn’t need to join to see the world. Between his mom (Army) and his dad (WWII Navy, Korea Army, and then Air Force – but that’s another story) David did a good bit of “seeing” before he did join the Navy. With a long family tradition of military service, covering all the military branches between he and his siblings, David served for 11 years as a Navy Corpsman. He tells of once serving on two aircraft carriers and has travelled to many countries all over the world.
The native of Junction City, KS (where his mom was posted at the time he was born), has made his home in Western Maryland for 40 years. His mom originally came from Oldtown, Maryland and David’s wife’s roots run deep in the area as well. With two children and six grandchildren, they still love to travel, but not too far away from home!
Since his military service, David has earned three different degrees: Oceanography and Aquatic Biology; Banking and Finance; and then Nursing. While he is now retired, his wife Sandy is Assistant Director of Nursing for Allegany College of Maryland. It was during David’s nursing career that he met Mark Treasure, CP, BOCO when they often crossed paths at the hospital and patient homes when David worked Home Health. When David needed some treatment for his Charcot foot, he met with Mark at Dankmeyer to get a prescribed orthosis called a CROW Walker (Charcot Restraint Orthotic Walker). Charcot runs in David’s family – it is a disease that attacks the bones, joints and soft tissue of the feet. The CROW Walker would provide some support to ease the stress on the foot.
David knew that this would buy him some time before more radical treatment was required. The CROW Walker kept him going for 1.5 years before the condition worsened. David got ulcers on the foot and the foot collapsed. He determined that elective surgery to remove the foot was the best way for him to move forward and regain mobility. Three days before his appointment with the surgeon, the foot got septic because of the ulcers and in February 2020 he began his journey with a below knee prosthesis.
A very active outdoorsman, David has already been back in the woods with his temporary prosthesis. He uses a longbow to shoot for fun but prefers shooting firearms – even using his leather crafting skills to make a new quiver for arrows and holsters for pistols. Camping and bushcraft are activities he particularly enjoys and plans to travel to visit his brother out west in the near future for camping. A pre-COVID activity was teaching young people about bushcraft and survival skills and he is looking forward to resuming that training.
David says that being inactive is not an option. In his nursing career, he saw amputees who were content to sit in a wheelchair, and that was not for him. He has lists of things to do and more travel is on that list. Restoring a farmhouse and cutting brush, his grandkids, leatherworking and camping are only a few things on his list that require attention. “Do everything you can! Besides, my wife would kick my b#$* if I wasn’t motivated and active!!”
