Wesley Kanne Clark Sr., born Wesley J. Kanne on December 23, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois, to Benjamin Jacob Kanne, a Jewish-American attorney of Belarusian immigrant descent who died in 1948, and Veneta Kanne of English Methodist ancestry, is a retired United States Army general. After his father's death, his mother relocated the family to Little Rock, Arkansas, for support from her family and lower living costs; she remarried Victor Clark, a banker, who adopted Wesley on his 16th birthday in 1960, legally changing his name to Wesley Kanne Clark Sr. and even altering his birth certificate. Raised initially exposed to Judaism and Methodism, then Baptist in Arkansas, Clark converted to Catholicism upon marrying Gertrude 'Gert' Kingston in June 1966; they have one son, Wesley Clark Jr. Clark's military career spanned 34-38 years, beginning after graduating valedictorian from West Point; he was severely wounded four times leading an infantry company in Vietnam (1970), earning the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and Bronze Star. Key roles included Director of Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5), Commander of U.S. Southern Command, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO (1997-2000), overseeing NATO's Operation Allied Force in Kosovo, which halted ethnic cleansing. Post-retirement in 2000, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2000), honorary knighthoods (UK, Netherlands), and France's Legion of Honor; he served as CNN military analyst (2003), authored books like 'Waging Modern War' (2001), and entered business as Chairman/CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, with board roles in energy (biofuels, oil/gas), finance (Enverra Inc., Blackstone advisor), and nonprofits (Atlantic Council director, Renew America Together founder, City Year Little Rock chair). Active as speaker, commentator, and UCLA Burkle Center senior fellow, Clark has voiced liberal views on abortion, gun control, death penalty, and fiscal policy; he claimed in 2007 a post-9/11 Pentagon memo outlined plans to attack Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran—widely cited but unverified by official documents. He was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election. No major legal controversies or investigations noted; based in Little Rock, he remains influential in security, energy, and bipartisan civility efforts.