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Clifford Lamar Pratt

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Clifford Lamar Pratt

Birth	:	5 Feb 1925 Juniata, Adams County, Nebraska, USA
Death	:	1 Sep 2019
Burial	:	Juniata Cemetery, Juniata, Adams County, USA
Coordinate	:	40.5889015, -98.5286026
Plot	:	Block 3, Lot 95, Space 5a
Description	:	• Oct 10, 2019, Daily News, Moscow, Idaho Cliff was born in Juniata, Neb., Feb. 5, 1925. He was the only child of Ramon W. Pratt and Pearl L. Burling Pratt. He attended schools in Kenesaw, Wilsonville and other small Nebraska towns. Cliff moved to Idaho just prior to his sophomore year in High School. His dad, Ramon, was a school superintendent in Nebraska and moved the family to Idaho to find work during the later years of the Depression. He lived in the Idaho towns of Troy, Elk River and Grangeville, where his dad was the head of public schools.... Read More	• Oct 10, 2019, Daily News, Moscow, Idaho Cliff was born in Juniata, Neb., Feb. 5, 1925. He was the only child of Ramon W. Pratt and Pearl L. Burling Pratt. He attended schools in Kenesaw, Wilsonville and other small Nebraska towns. Cliff moved to Idaho just prior to his sophomore year in High School. His dad, Ramon, was a school superintendent in Nebraska and moved the family to Idaho to find work during the later years of the Depression. He lived in the Idaho towns of Troy, Elk River and Grangeville, where his dad was the head of public schools. He graduated from Grangeville High School in June of 1943. He could not have known it at the time of his induction into the United States Army in June of 1943, but he would soon become a U.S. Army combat rifleman veteran in World War II. He earned three battle stars as an enlisted man in the U.S. Army Paratroops during WWII in Europe, and later rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Cliff was recruited out of Grangeville High School by Idaho head football coach Francis Schmidt (who played football at Nebraska) and was later offered a football scholarship to play in Moscow by then head coach Babe Brown with the agreement he would also play basketball after the football season was over. Cliff also later played for head coach Dixie Howell. Unfortunately, as Cliff liked to say, the U.S. Army made him a better offer. He signed with the Army after graduating from Grangeville in 1943 and, after completing basic training in late 1943, he volunteered for the 82nd Airborne Division nicknamed the “All-Americans.” Cliff was destined to be an All-American, but not in college football. He was to be one in wartime as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He saw three battle actions as a combat infantry rifleman, earning three battle stars, and fought in three of the last major battles of the European Theatre during World War II. It was not an occupation designed to get you to retirement age. He rode a glider into combat with the 82nd Airborne Division at Operation Market-Garden, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and jumped during Operation Varsity with the 17th Airborne Division, the largest airborne operation in the history of the U.S. Armed Forces. He then returned to the 82nd Airborne Division and served as part of the occupation force in Berlin until late 1945. Cliff was shipped home via the Queen Mary in late December 1945. He marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City just after New Year’s Day in 1946 in the last major Victory Parade for the returning veterans of WWII with General James Gavin of the 82nd Airborne leading the way. Cliff was in the front row directly behind General Gavin. He was mustered out of the U.S. Army immediately after the parade and was on a train headed back home to Idaho that night. His Dad picked him up at the Fort Douglas train station in northern Utah, and he enrolled at the University of Idaho in time for the spring semester of 1946. There was not much time for decompression for the returning veterans in those days. Cliff was crossing campus early in the spring semester of 1946, headed to a class, when he ran into the football coach who told him he thought he had not made it through the War. Cliff assured the coach he was all in one piece and the coach told him his scholarship was still open if he wanted to play — so he did! Cliff played the fall season of 1946 and in the spring of 1947. He decided in the fall of 1947 to give up football. Idaho honored his scholarship and he helped with the team until he graduated in 1949 with a degree in education. He was called back into the U. S. Army during the Korean War and assigned to the new branch of the service called the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant through his participation in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Idaho. He stayed in the U.S. Air Force as part of the buildup of the Strategic Air Command during the Korean War, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. He served for a total of 26 years in the military during a career that spanned three wars and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He saw combat again when stationed on Guam as a member of a B-52 bomber wing during the early part of the Vietnam War. After retiring from the military, Cliff finally put his college education to good use and spent 20 years in a career as an elementary school principal. He retired for good at age 63 in 1988 from the Papillion, Neb., Independent School System. During that time, Cliff earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Nebraska and his doctorate in education was complete apart from his dissertation. He also has a son who is a retired Army colonel, and a granddaughter who is an active duty F-16 fighter pilot stationed in San Antonio as an instructor pilot at Randolph AFB. He also has another son who attended the USAF Academy and another granddaughter who graduated from the Academy as well. The retired Army colonel is also a paratrooper, Special Forces trained, and retired as the head of U.S. Army Reserve Unit in Santa Fe, N.M. He joined the Army during the Vietnam War. Another granddaughter, who is also a USAF Lt. Colonel, is currently serving in a reserve unit in Colorado. Cliff Pratt is a native Nebraskan and equally fond of his time as a resident of Idaho. He was 94 years old at the time of his death Sept. 1, 2019. No one has served the United States of America more proudly. Cliff recently paid a visit to the World War II museum in New Orleans, where he was recognized for his service to his country and he presented a complete combat jump uniform, including his prized jump boots, to the museum for display. He had sent them home to his Mom in 1945, with a note that said, “Mom, please put these in a safe place; I earned them!” — And she did. He was one of only a very few remaining combat jump veterans from World War II. He celebrated his 94th Birthday this past February. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Helen Ballou Pratt, three sons, two daughter’s in-law, six grandchildren, six great grandchildren, two sisters-in-law and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial service is being planned for 11 a.m. Oct. 19 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Papillion. Memorial gifts may be made to the American Legion Post 32 in Papillion, St. Paul’s UMC in Papillion (StPaulsPapio.org) and to the Pratt Teaching Excellence and Support Fund in the Papio-LaVista Schools Foundation (plvschoolsfoundation.org).

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Clifford Lamar Pratt's memorial?
Clifford Lamar Pratt's memorial is located at: Juniata Cemetery, Juniata, Adams County, USA.
When did Clifford Lamar Pratt death?
Clifford Lamar Pratt death on 1 Sep 2019 in
Where are the coordinates of the Clifford Lamar Pratt's memorial?
Latitude: 40.5889015
Longitude: -98.5286026

Family Members:

Parent

Ramon W. Pratt

(1902 - 1949)

Pearl Leota Burling Pratt

(1901 - 1994)

Spouse

Ruth H. Pratt

(1926 - unknow)

Flowers:

Clifford L Pratt. WW2 Paratrooper. 17th Airborne. We will never forget.

Left by Anonymous on 24 Sep 2019

Left by Anonymous on 13 Oct 2019

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Juniata Cemetery
Juniata, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5889015, -98.5286026

2. Ingleside Cemetery
Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5862340, -98.4464990

3. Concordia Cemetery
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Coordinate: 40.6556015, -98.5811005

4. Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery
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Coordinate: 40.5247870, -98.4583300

5. Assumption Cemetery
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Coordinate: 40.5103500, -98.5692500

6. Meyer Cemetery
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Coordinate: 40.6696300, -98.5827800

7. Grace Methodist Church Memorial Columbarium
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5937480, -98.4082340

8. Zion Lutheran Cemetery
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Coordinate: 40.5340540, -98.6286260

9. Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4961014, -98.4788971

10. Kenesaw Cemetery
Kenesaw, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6035995, -98.6603012

11. Saint Marks Episcopal Chapel Columbarium
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5877800, -98.3922100

12. First Presbyterian Columbarium
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5895900, -98.3913100

13. Saint Patricks Catholic Cemetery
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6844100, -98.4711600

14. Highland Cemetery
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5983009, -98.3906021

15. Crosier Monastery Cemetery
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6014740, -98.3787920

16. Sunset Memorial Gardens
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6399994, -98.3827972

17. Parkview Cemetery
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5985985, -98.3677979

18. Mount Sinai Cemetery
Hastings, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5978012, -98.3647003

19. Roseland Cemetery
Roseland, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4622002, -98.5736008

20. Silver Lake Cemetery
Roseland, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4522018, -98.5425034

21. Shiloh Cemetery
Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5525017, -98.7050018

22. Rosedale Cemetery
Doniphan, Hall County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7125015, -98.4353027

23. Roseland Mennonite Cemetery
Roseland, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4411011, -98.5164032

24. Holstein Cemetery
Holstein, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4660988, -98.6378021