About
James Clark is the Editor in Chief of Task & Purpose. He is an Afghanistan War veteran and served in the Marine Corps as a combat correspondent.
Experience
Since starting at Task & Purpose in 2015, James has worked as a social media manager, general news reporter, veterans and culture reporter, senior reporter, deputy editor, and now serves as the editor in chief.
From March 2023 until July 2024, James was the editor of Army Times before becoming the managing editor of Military Times. He returned to Task & Purpose as the Editor in Chief in August 2024.
James has covered a variety of topics, from long-form reporting on veterans’ access to healthcare in rural communities to the Department of Veterans Affairs medical marijuana policy, and has published enterprise pieces on longstanding issues like the Feres Doctrine and the now-repealed Widows Tax.
James served in the Marine Corps as a combat correspondent from 2008 until 2012 and deployed twice to Helmand province, Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
Education
James graduated the University of California Santa Cruz in 2014 with a degree in modern literature.
Highlights
- Expertise in culture writing and personality-driven features on issues and topics of interest and importance to the military and veteran community.
- James’ 2018-2019 series on the Feres Doctrine, a 1950 Supreme Court ruling that bars service members from suing the government for negligence and wrongdoing, resulted in heightened interest and a renewed effort to see the precedent overturned.
- His exclusive on the Afghanistan War documentary Combat Obscura was picked up by several national outlets and led the Marine Corps to drop their threats of a lawsuit against the filmmaker.
- James’ reporting on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made national headlines and reinvigorated a campaign to change the underlying issue, the so-called Widows Tax.
- On the lighter side of things, James largely built up Task & Purpose’s entertainment beat with regular reviews, profiles, and a recurring column entitled That One Scene.
