Clarence V. Bertucci was born on September 14, 1921, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in a time of great change in America. His family background is not widely documented, but Clarence dropped out of school after completing the sixth grade. After leaving school, he joined the United States Army in 1940.

During his time in the Army, Clarence served for five years. His service included a tour in England with an artillery unit. Throughout his military career, he struggled with discipline issues and often faced proble ms that prevented him from being promoted. He later expressed feelings of dissatisfaction with his service. Witnesses reported that he seemed to feel "cheated" out of combat experience, as he longed for a chance to engage in battle against Germans. Clarence openly admitted that he hated Germans, saying, "Someday I will get my Germans; I will get my turn."

Before the incident that would later mark his name in history, there were no clear signs indicating what Clarence was planning. Despite his evident frustrations and expressions of hatred, those around him did not anticipate his actions. At the age of 23, he was stationed at Camp Salina in Utah, a camp that housed German and Italian prisoners of war during World War II.

On the night of July 7, 1945, Clarence V. Bertucci reported for guard duty at Camp Salina in Utah after a night of drinking. Before heading to his post, he mentioned to a waitress that something exciting was going to happen that night. Once on duty, he climbed up to a guard tower, loaded the .30-caliber M1917 Browning machine gun, and began firing at the tents where German prisoners of war were sleeping.

Bertucci moved the gun side to side, hitting thirty of the forty-three tents. The shooting lasted about fifteen seconds, and he fired approximately 250 rounds. When ordered by a lieutenant to come down, Bertucci refused, stating that some Germans were still alive. Eventually, another soldier helped bring him down, and he was taken into custody without resistance. Despite having consumed alcohol earlier, he was not found to be intoxicated at the time of his arrest.

Six German prisoners were killed immediately, and two others died later in the hospital. Nineteen others were wounded. The attack caused chaos, with some prisoners receiving treatment on the hospital lawn due to a lack of space inside. Some injuries were severe, with one prisoner severely hurt but managing to survive for several hours.

Following the incident, Bertucci was placed under guard and evaluated for mental health. Initial military assessments suggested insanity, but further investigations questioned this conclusion. Despite the early judgments about his mental state, a panel ultimately decided that he was mentally unbalanced. Consequently, Bertucci was sent to a hospital in New York rather than facing court-martial.

The victims were buried with military honors, and the incident is recognized as one of the largest killings of enemy prisoners in the United States during World War II. Over time, a museum was established at the site to commemorate the events of that night. Bertucci passed away on December 2, 1969.