MATC alumnus Richard Clark Jr. is a lifeline for fellow veterans recovering from trauma
Richard Clark Jr. assists veterans on college campuses via the Mobile Vet Center.
Being Superman
“I always need to be mindful of my triggers. If I see it’s getting dark outside, I think rain is coming and I prepare for it,” Clark said. “I think that everyone at some point goes through something.” Clark’s “something” came while he was in the Army Reserve. In 2010, he went to Haiti to help the island nation recover from an earthquake. In 2012, he was part of a humanitarian mission in Honduras. “I was supposed to be Superman-tough during all of that. That’s the image I was supposed to display. But it messed me up,” Clark said. He found himself in a dilemma that has confronted many soldiers: How do I deal with all the confusion and pain? “Twenty years ago they would say suck it up and drive on. You’re young and you hear that and you believe that,” he added. “Counseling was always there but frowned upon. It meant you were weak. If you did that, no one wanted you on their team. I’m coming to another man for help. What kind of man does that make me?”
“MATC made me look at the world differently. It broadened things out for me.”
The hardest step
Clark, who was born and raised in Milwaukee, joined the Army a few weeks after turning 19. He originally thought about attending college in 1997, when he finished his stint in the Army. He finally got to MATC in 2007 and earned his associate degree two years later in the Human Service Associate program. “I was trying to go to college, but the military kept pulling me back,” he said. “MATC was very flexible. They were always understanding about my drills and duties. “I loved MATC,” Clark said. “I learned so much from my instructors. MATC truly changed me. For me, the military was always so structured. MATC made me look at the world differently. It broadened things out for me.” While finishing his associate degree, Clark interned at the Vet Center in Milwaukee.
A few months after he graduated, he became the office manager. “I was the first person that the clients saw when they came in,” he said. Today, Clark assists veterans from nine counties in the state. He makes presentations at businesses, distributes information and spreads the word about the center’s services. He’ll stop men and women in uniform and ask them how they are doing. For veterans having a difficult time, communication is key, Clark said. He also knows all too well that deciding to talk to someone is usually the hardest step. When he started to struggle, he attended group sessions at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee. “I felt I could blend in with a group,” Clark said. “But I didn’t like what I saw when I looked at myself and how I acted with others. That’s when I started individual counseling.”
The path to peace
At the Vet Center, veterans can openly and freely speak about what they are going through, Clark said. “No one wants to add PTSD to their career,” he said. “But there’s absolutely no judgment here.” Once a veteran comes in for help, the Vet Center can bring in family to assist counselors. “We work hard to build or restore connections,” he said. “We do what we can to improve the quality of life for those who need help.” Critically, the counseling is confidential, Clark said. The center doesn’t share information about clients and the services they receive without permission, except in a life-threatening situation. The center’s records cannot be accessed by the government, military or community providers, he added.
Clark also visits area colleges to support veterans furthering their education. In September 2025, he came to MATC and spoke at a suicide prevention program for military-affiliated students. The event was sponsored by the college’s Veterans Resource Center and Counseling and Psychological Services. “Richard is the definition of a client-centered professional and a dedicated team player,” said Carlos Aranda, a counselor at MATC who has known Clark since 2021. “His powerful motivation is clear in his consistent work to better the lives of everyone he encounters.” Many of the people he meets at the center have found peace. “For some, things happen faster than others. Some have been coming in since I started in 2009,” he said. “I’ve seen vets start here not sharing anything at all, staying very tight-lipped. Then you see them start to share. Then you see them become comfortable talking and talking. It’s a transformation and I have seen it myself.”