Clark H. Woodward - Reactivation

Reactivation

In a speech delivered on what proved to be the eve of war, 6 December 1941, Woodward predicted that the United States Navy would soon be able to defeat any and all naval forces in the world, in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans simultaneously. He was called back to active duty the very next day, and his words were proven prescient by his beloved Navy’s successful prosecution of both the Pacific War and the Battle of the Atlantic.

Finally retiring in 1948, after over fifty years of service, Woodward continued to work for the Navy with retired status during the Korean War. Upon the armistice in 1953, he withdrew from duty altogether. However, he remained a staunchly vocal advocate of decisive military might.

Clark Howell Woodward died a widower in Arlington, Virginia in 1968, a decade after the death of his wife in a fire. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His collection of papers spanning the years 1915 through 1968, which include correspondence, news clippings, publications, photographs, personal writing, and souvenirs which document his exceptionally long Navy career, are housed in the U.S. National Archives. (Papers of Clark H. Woodward, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C.)