Clark Kampen Bast was born May 19, 1913 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey to Walter F. Bast (1886-1965) and Blanche Krantz (1886-1962). His parents were married in 1909 in New Jersey. His dad was from New Jersey and his mom from Pennsylvania. His dad worked at Standard Silk in Phillipsburg, New Jersey and moved to Chadwicks, NY to work at the Standard Silk mill there. (Today Donovan Memorial Park sits at the site of the mill). He had a younger brother Brook (aka Henry (1918-1944)) who was also killed in World War II. In 1930 he was living on Elm St. in New Hartford, NY. He attended Chadwicks School and was an exceptionally good baseball player, getting a tryout for a professional baseball team. Clark also raced pigeons with a local club and later got a job at the same mill his dad worked for. Local papers were full of accounts of his baseball heroics for local teams all through the 1930s. He even participated in spring training with the Rochester Red Wings in Florida in 1937. He was also active in other things while in high school. His name appeared often in the local papers for organizing events in school, going on school trips and more.

He registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Utica, NY. He was 5'-10" tall and weighed 170 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. Clark was drafted into the service on June 29, 1942 in Utica, NY with service number 32373326. He was single without dependents and had completed one year of college. At the time of his induction he was employed in the U.S. Engineers Office in Rome, NY. He completed his training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, Camp A.P. Hill, Virginia and Camp Kilmer, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

After his training he was sent overseas and joined General Patton's army, which in the summer of 1943 was slugging it out in Sicily in Operation Husky. Military records document that Sgt. Bast was transported to the hospital in Licata, Sicily aboard an LST on July 29, 1943 with acute appendicitis. He died of this illness just a few days later, on August 5, 1943. He was buried in the Mt. Soprano Cemetery (United States Military Cemetery) Gela, Sicily in Italy E – 53 – 625. The Chadwick's Firemen honored Clark and other local men killed in World War II by dedicating a memorial to them in April 1944. Newspapers of the day recounted the ceremony that “drew several hundreds on the lawn in front of the Willowvale Bleachery Club.” Later, in August 1948, his body was escorted home by Sgt. Napoleon Fuzzi and along with his brother Henry, was buried in the Easton Heights Cemetery, Easton, Pennsylvania, Plot 232, Section 6.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Military Affairs, Record of Burial Place of Veteran, Northhampton County for Tech Sgt. Clark K. Bast, source unknown but image of document is provided in the supporting documents section below.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58982275/clark_kampen-bast: accessed November 2, 2025), memorial page for Sgt Clark Kampen Bast (19 May 1913–5 Aug 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 58982275, citing Easton Cemetery, Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by TomKat (contributor 46805778).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58981989/henry_brooks-bast: accessed November 2, 2025), memorial page for Lieut Henry Brooks Bast (17 Dec 1918–2 Nov 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 58981989, citing Easton Cemetery, Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by TomKat (contributor 46805778).

Fold3, US, World War II War Diaries, 1941-1945 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/750/us-world-war-ii-war-diaries-1941-1945 : accessed Nov 3, 2025), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/750/us-world-war-ii-war-diaries-1941-1945

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 05042; Reel: 168

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

The Morning Call; Publication Date: 9 Sep 1943; Publication Place: Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/275130235/?article=e1595ea6-1ab7-4004-917b-c1329acb1e19&focus=0.85244244,0.071436286,0.9799218,0.18795523&xid=3355

“Saints Tie Up Pennant Race By Close Win”, Utica Observer-Dispatch, September 1?, 193?, pg. 13. Day and year are illegible in the electronic source.

“Sgt. Clark R. Bast”, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., September 6, 1943, pg illegible. (clip is provided in supporting documents section below.

Willowvale Bleachery, New Hartford, NY Historical Society website at https://www.newhartfordhistory.com/willowvale-bleachery accessed on November 20, 2025.

Supporting Documents