2022 Veterans Day Speaker - Clarence R. Hickey, Jr. , US Army
Clarence R. “Corky” Hickey Jr. lived in Aston, PA from about 1948 until 1956, attending Aston Mills, Crozerville, and Green Ridge Elementary Schools. After graduating from Grove City College with a Bachelor’s of Science degree, “Corky” was inducted into the United States Army on July 27, 1966. After induction activities at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he went to Fort Gordon, Georgia for Basic Training. Following his time at Fort Gordon, “Corky” was assigned to the 3rd Army’s 3160th Hospital Detachment of the United States Army Hospital at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Fort Campbell was the home of the 101st Airborne Division, which was serving overseas in the Republic of South Vietnam. At Fort Campbell, “Corky” served and supported the 101st soldiers and their dependent families. In the hospital, he served as a clinical laboratory technician, blood banker, and general hospital medic. One of his contributions to the war effort was drawing two hundred units of blood every Saturday morning from soldiers of a basic training company stationed at Fort Campbell. Some of this blood was shipped to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. for use with wounded soldiers recovering there, some directly to Vietnam for use in medical center operations in country, and some retained for use at the Fort Campbell Hospital. “Corky” was discharged from active duty on July 26, 1968 with the rank of Specialist 5th Class, and assigned to a reserve unit for four years, but was never recalled to active duty. For his services to his country, “Corky” was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.