Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Belk, Claudius Earle
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1920-1999
History
Claudius Earle Belk was born in 1920 in Millville, Arkansas. In 1938 he enlisted in the United States Marines. After basic training, he served aboard the USS Yorktown. During World War II, Belk was a navigator aboard a B-17 bomber of the 546th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bombardment Group of the US Army Air Force. His place was shot down over France on June 26, 1943, and he was captured by German forces as a prisoner of war. He spent most of his captivity in the Stalag Luft III POW camp in Sagan, Germany. Belk was awarded the Purple Heart for his service in 1946. Belk continued to serve in the armed services following the war. He was married and divorced once, and died in 1999 in Florida.