Trustworthy, Courteous & Reverent​Dr. Clarence Oliver Jr. has Spent a Lifetime Serving Others

Most citizens of Broken Arrow know Dr. Clarence Oliver Jr. from his decades as an educator in the Broken Arrow Public School system. However, before his arrival here, he had spent ​many years in military service, both at home and abroad. Oliver states that he grew up during a time of massive economic difficulties during the height of the Great Depression. His experiences then, along with a family history of military service dating as far back as the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, imbued him with a sense of patriotism that led him to enlist in the 45th Infantry Division National Guard Unit at 17, during  his senior year of high school. This was in 1947, and the unit was undergoing reorganization as it returned from active duty during World War II.

​Rather than attend a traditional boot camp, Dr. Oliver was assigned to Company C of the 180th Infantry Regiment.  There, he trained with personnel who had served during WWII, integrating into the existing units. At times, they would travel to Fort Sill to undergo more intensive field training, spending their days doing long marches, intensive physical training, weapons train-ing, rifle ranges, living in bivouac settings, bathing and shaving using water in ‘steel helmets — all in rather primitive conditions. 

In all, Dr. Oliver spent close to 30 years in the military between the National Guard, active duty Army, and Army Reserve.  Stateside, he served at Fort Sill, Fort Hood, and Camp Polk — now Fort Polk — in Louisiana. He served on Hokkaido Island in Japan during the final days of Occupation Troop duty. In North Korea, he served combat duty from 1951-52. He was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1952, and twice attended the U.S. Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia. He also served short-term assignments in several dif-ferent posts stateside.

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While life in the military can be difficult at times, there are always moments of levity. Dr. Oliver recalls one such instance when they were deployed to an area of Japan with no provisions made for their arrival. They were to erect a tent city amidst noth-ing but acres and acres of trees. Of course, there was no set way to clear the trees.  After someone remarked that “it sure would be nice to have a bulldozer to help clear this land,” Private Jones, a draftee from Arkansas known for his ability to acquire necessary items through less than formal channels, set off in search of a solution. Despite his lack of knowledge and experience with bulldozers, he soon arrived back at the location on a bulldozer and proceeded to clear the land. Having learned to start and operate a bulldozer, he returned the vehicle around nightfall to its proper owner.

Dr. Oliver learned much during his military service.  Despite receiving copious civilian training, he still feels his time in the military did the most to sharpen his leadership skills. He credits the Army with installing “the concepts of strategic planning, crit-ical thinking, organizational structure, human resources management, and other critical areas of leading small and large organizations.” When asked for three words to describe himself, Dr. Oliver answered “Trustworthy, courteous, and reverent.” To anyone who has met him, these words encapsulate a life spent in service to others and help explain why he has been so effective in that service.​