GRANITE CITY — Modert B. Clark Sr. of West Granite City witnessed 32 atomic bomb tests during his Navy service from 1961 to 1963, a period of nuclear testing that ended with a treaty limiting where those tests could take place.
Clark, who was 84 as of May 14, 2026, observed tests in Nevada and at sea. An atomic veteran and Vietnam veteran, he served in the 3rd Division. His military record also includes time aboard the Princeton and travel through a typhoon.
His service coincided with a turning point in nuclear operations at the Nevada Test Site. From 1960 to 1963, testing there shifted from open-air atmospheric explosions to contained underground detonations. Heightened Cold War tensions and growing public health concerns about radioactive fallout drove the transition, an era that culminated in the signing of the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963.
Clark’s military service ended in 1963, when he left for health reasons. After returning home, he worked at a steel company in Granite City for several years.
Though quiet about his experiences, Clark is proud of his service and of having served his country.
He is second from the left in the back row in the photo above.
