Carl Birk was born on March 1, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. He later moved to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin where he joined the local Wisconsin National Guard unit in May 1947. He served continuously in the Guard through August 1966. During that time, Birk and his unit were called into federal service in 1961 during the Berlin Crisis. The 32nd Division was sent to Fort Lewis, Washington to train for possible use in Europe against Soviet forces. During this time, the Fort Atkinson unit was known as Company C., 2nd Battle Group, 128th Infantry Regiment. Following his service, Birk worked as an electrical and plumbing designer in the Fort Atkinson area.
