Patrick Clark attended basic training between his junior and senior years of high school. His first duty station was Fort Stewart, Georgia, and then he deployed to Korea for a 1-year hardship tour. He finished active duty at Fort Polk, LA, and enlisted in the Army Reserve 2 years later.

He transferred to the Army National Guard. In 2004-2005, he deployed to the 172nd Mountain Company, filling a military police role. While in Iraq, he was assigned to an Iraqi highway patrol station and was responsible for training and supervising 15 members.