Sometime in December of 1990, Parrish L. Clark, ranked at the time of Corporal, wrote to Karen Viereck, owner and publisher of the New Town Press, asking for a letter of his to be published in the paper’s next issue.
At the time of him writing his letter, Clark was deployed in Saudi Arabia where days reached and succeeded beyond 120°F. He reached out to his mother back home in Swedesboro to send him copies of the New Town Press. This is what led up to him writing to Viereck.
Clark wrote that he had just served in “Operation Just Cause” at the beginning of the New Year. He then departed from Panama on Jan. 11, 1990 and was then on his way to end the year with “Operation Desert Storm.”
Fast forward 34 years later, Army veteran Sgt. Clark came back to Swedesboro to meet with Viereck. Since the publication of the letter, he has never seen Viereck face to face. His reason to return is that he wished to personally say “thank you” for his letter’s publication.
Letters in the Service
Born in 1964, Clark was raised by a military family in the Swedesboro area. He formerly lived at 105 Church Street, just off of Second Street and within walking distance of the Trinity Episcopal “Old Swedes” Church. Though residing now in Douglasville, Georgia, he is still a resident of Swedesboro at heart.
Graduating from Kingsway in 1982, Clark’s life had “turned upside down.” He didn’t know where to go or how to act. His life during and after school had mostly revolved around working at the Old Swedes Inn late at night.
When Clark was a boy, he was quite mesmerized by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). At this point in his life, Clark decided to join the United States Army. He reasoned that the army would give him reason to build his physical and mental self into joining the WWF upon return.
“I wanted to do it,” Clark said, “I wanted to be a part of the WWF.”
From 1982 to 1990, Clark had begun his military experience. In his years of “country hopping” with the Army, he had been to Ansbach, Germany under the First Armored Division, Panama during “Operation Just Cause,” and then finally leading up to his deployment to the Middle East.
On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraq forces invaded and annexed the country of Kuwait. The United States initiated “Operation Desert Shield” in attempts to deny any further attacks on neighboring countries. Between the official designation of the operation and January 1991, the U.S. had been stockpiling troops in the area.
Clark was one of the thousands of troops deployed during the operation, arriving at an undisclosed location on August 30th.
Somewhere in Saudi Arabia, Clark was “nervously” being transported into a safe zone. Clark would live in a desert encampment for the next eight months. During this time of tent living was where Clark’s letter had come into fruition.
For as long as Clark had been in the service, friends and family would send the troops an assortment of mail from home. This trend continued while in Saudi Arabia, with Clark writing constantly to his mother back home in Swedesboro. He most frequently asked for her to send copies of the New Town Press to remind him of home.
When Clark received the paper, he decided to write to Viereck. His reason was straight forward: he didn’t know if he would be coming home. So, he sent the letter, and waited to see what would happen.
The letter he wrote encompassed the early points in his life, as well as his desert life. “If you can,” he wrote to Viereck, “PLEASE print my story and my address… if anyone wishes to drop a few lines, I’ll be glad to write [to] them.”
Some time had passed by, and letters of support began to flood Clark and the troops in the desert. The amount of letters that were supplied to the camp were so large, they came in droves. There were so many they were coming in loads that could fill shoeboxes.
There were letters not only from the paper’s reading area, but also droves of letters from all across the country.
When asked about any particular letters that stuck out, Clark was able to identify some. Two letters from Clark’s kindergarten teacher from Margaret Clifford School, Mrs. Marcia West, a heart-filled letter from Clark’s Physical Education instructor from Walter Hill School, Edith Engle-Brooke, two letters from his high school teacher’s sons from Kingsway Regional, Tom Yourison, and a few letters from a boy out of Greenfield, Indiana, Kyle Louis.
West’s letters were from the children of the school, and one that was personal. The kids wanted to know how the war was going, and gave their best wishes to Clark’s health. As for the personal letter, West recalled how it felt like it was yesterday when Clark was in the classroom, and now here he is in active service.
The letter from Engle was a three page letter, giving her regards to a former student. She congratulated Clark for his letter published in the New Town Press at the time, how life is treating her with a new marriage, and said that Swedesboro was still the same as he left it.
Kevin (youngest) and Tommy (oldest) Yourison wrote to Clark about their lives, the sports world of hockey, and gave him prayers and wishes for his return back to Swedesboro.
The last letter from Louis had a bit of history to it. After receiving the letter sometime in the early 90’s when Clark returned to the states in Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, he decided to pay a visit to the boy and his family in March 1992. To show his thanks for the letter, Clark bought tickets for the whole family, and they went to a ball game at Market Square Arena.
Louis still kept in touch with Clark after he was stationed out to Nuremberg, Germany the same year they met.
Recounting the memories of the letters, Clark said that “I would go out of my way to write back [to] every possible one.” According to Clark, he still has to this day numerous boxes of letters, and looking back at them “took me back, way back down memory lane.”
One memory that Clark had when looking over the letters had to do with receiving mail. While out in the desert of Saudi Arabia, Clark recounts that the heat was so bad at times, his camp would have routine checks to ensure no fires took place. Sadly, a mail tent caught fire one day, and what mail could be salvaged was handed out.
Clark still has an envelope and letter from the incident, still burned and charred, tape being the only thing stitching the paper together.
Clark eventually separated from active service, after serving 18 years of military service. This totaled between 15 years active duty and three years in the National Guard. Honorably discharged, Clark’s rank prior to discharge in the United States army was Sergeant (SGT).
After Service
Upon returning home to the states, Clark had now found time to settle down. He would actively go out of his way to travel back to Swedesboro at least once a year. Clark’s goal was to always attend Swedesboro Day, as it reminds him of home and his early life.
During an instance of Clark’s travels, he began to remember the letter he had sent 34 years ago to Viereck. He decided to travel back to Swedesboro in June 2024, because he had never met with Viereck.
Clark’s goal was to finally meet the person who published his letter while in active service during Desert Shield.
“I just had to come see you [Viereck],” Clark recalled about the meeting, adding that he “was so appreciative of the letters” from Swedesboro and the surrounding areas. He had to meet with her, shake her hand, and personally say “thank you for that article 34 years ago.”
Since Clark’s separation from military service in 2000 has had an active life in the states. He has worked processing VA’s and FHA loans under his own company up until 2008, packaged military student loans for Virginia College and the Education Corporation of America (ECA) until 2014, and has served as the US Department of Treasuries Debt Recovery Analyst, retiring as of April 2025.
Clark resides now in Georgia, moving to Douglasville in May 2025. Although living far from Swedesboro, he is still a resident at heart, never forgetting his home away from home.
As of today, Clark has begun setting a goal for himself, to organize the plethora of shoe boxes containing immeasurable amounts of letters. While looking over them, Clark wishes to establish contact with those identified in these letters.
He plans to use Facebook and see “if someone recognizes” their name, possibly engaging with some new connections along the way.
When asked for Clark’s closing thoughts, he had this to say for lessons on living life to its fullest.
“As we move forward, let us remember that small, consistent efforts often lead to the biggest changes. Stay curious, remain patient with yourself, and never underestimate the power of persistence.
“Every step you take today shapes the tomorrow you are building, so choose wisely, and move with purpose because every ending is just the start of a new chapter. Never waiver from the power of God.”
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Hebrews 13:5-6, which assures that God “will never leave you nor forsake you”. Lastly, as we say in the Army: “Keep your head and eyes to the front!” God Bless – HooAh!”
by Gerald Philipp
