Adithya Sambamurthy/The Bay Citizen

Carl E. Clark in his home in Menlo Park

As they say in the military, they’re bringing out the top brass for this one.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is scheduled to present a long-overdue medal to World War II veteran Carl Clark, 95, of Menlo Park next month.

Mabus’ appearance was confirmed this week by the office of Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto). It is one of several new details emerging about the planned ceremony, which has gained national attention. Clark could be the last living WWII veteran to receive a combat medal — an honor he was denied for more than 66 years because he is black.

The time and place are set: Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View. Clark will receive the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with the Combat Distinguishing Device. (It's the same medal Sen. John McCain received for his military heroics.)

Clark plans to wear his old uniform for the ceremony.

“I’m getting it altered now,” he said. “It’s a little bit too small.”

Clark saved his ship, the U.S.S. Aaron Ward, and hundreds of sailors’ lives during a kamikaze attack near Okinawa, Japan, on May 3, 1945. Wounded, he risked his life in the heat of battle to douse a raging fire before it reached the ship’s ammunition locker, which would have destroyed the vessel. But because Clark is African-American and was only a ship's steward, and the Navy was deeply segregated at the time, his heroics were never noted — not even mentioned in the battle report.

Over the past decade, Clark’s story became public, spurring an effort by Eshoo and others to fix what many believed was an injustice. After the only known surviving ship’s officer last year confirmed Clark’s brave deeds, the Navy launched an investigation and last week announced the medal.

Since then, Clark’s story has received widespread media coverage, and national television networks have sought interviews.

When asked about all the attention, Clark said his case exemplified the stories of the 1 million African-Americans who served in WWII, many never receiving proper recognition for their actions, and that the medal would finally shine some light on that.

“I’m satisfied,” he said.