About
World War II (1939-1945)
Clarence W. Griggs was born in Temple, Bell County, Texas, on April 5, 1902. He earned his bachelor's degree in divinity from Fisk University, located in Nashville, Tennessee, and his master's degree in sacred theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York. By 1940, Clarence was living in Schenectady and was an executive secretary for the George W. Carver League until January 1943, when he departed to join the army as a chaplain.
In 1943, Clarence enlisted in the United States Army. He was a captain chaplain serving with the 504th Port Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. On April 12, 1945, he was killed during the Battle of Okinawa. He is buried in the Long Island National Cemetery in New York.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry