[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 17, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 17, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                TRIBUTE TO MAJ. GEN. JOHN G. SMITH, JR.

  Mr. DeCONCINI. Mr. President, I rise today to enter into the 
Congressional Record a eulogy for an Arizona citizen, outstanding 
soldier, and American patriot.
  Maj. Gen. John G. Smith, Jr., served his country, his State, and his 
God with unswerving devotion and dedication. As the adjutant general 
for the State of Arizona, his record was one of excellence and 
commitment to the public welfare. His untimely death is a loss for 
Arizona and the Phoenix community.
  I ask unanimous consent that a eulogy given at General Smith's 
funeral by Gen. Curtis A. Jennings be included in the Record at this 
point.
  There being no objection, the eulogy was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

 Gen. John Grady Smith, Jr.--Eulogy Presented by Curtis A. Jennings at 
                      His Funeral on July 11, 1994

       We are here today to honor the memory of our colleague and 
     friend LTG John Grady Smith, Jr. It is impossible to render a 
     proper eulogy to Gen. Smith in a few words and capture the 
     full and rich tapestry of his life and a complete catalogue 
     of his accomplishments. He was an extraordinary individual 
     who had a lasting impact upon the Arizona National Guard, the 
     community and State and his friends and acquaintances. His 
     passing leaves a void in the lives of all those who knew him. 
     On behalf of the officers and enlisted persons of the Army 
     and Air National Guard, both active and retired, Gen. Smith's 
     friends and acquaintances, I convey deepest sympathy and 
     profound condolences to Mrs. Jane Smith, their three children 
     and their families.
       John Smith was born on November 19, 1919, in Statesboro, 
     Georgia, where he grew to manhood. He attended Georgia 
     Southern College in Statesboro where he met, in 1940, his 
     future wife Norma Jane Simpson, affectionately known to all 
     of us as ``Jane.''
       His military career began in April of 1938 when he enlisted 
     in the Georgia National Guard. In November 1940, his Guard 
     unit was called into Federal Service due to the winds of war 
     which were sweeping over Europe and the concern that the 
     United States would soon be involved. He was in a coast 
     artillery unit and received training at and was assigned 
     to Camp Fisher, Fort Stewart and Fort Bragg before being 
     commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Infantry in August 1942 
     through the Officer Candidate Program at the Infantry 
     School, Ft. Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to the 104th 
     Infantry Division nicknamed the ``Timberwolf'' Division 
     which had been activated and was in training as a combat 
     division at Camp Adair near Corvallis, Washington.
       After a period of courting as only a southern gentleman can 
     court, he won the hand of Jane, and they were married on 
     April 4, 1943. Jane says he kept asking her by letter, 
     telephone and in person so she finally said ``yes.'' Clearly 
     they must have both meant the vows they exchanged since they 
     celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary last April. He 
     enjoyed telling the story that after he and Jane were married 
     and were traveling across the country as a very young couple, 
     they would stop at a motel or hotel and he would tell the 
     clerk to register him as John Smith. The clerk would look at 
     Jane and say, ``and I suppose you are Jane Smith,'' and she 
     would answer, ``that's right,'' much to the hotel clerk's 
     amusement. Jane is an outstanding ideal of an officer's lady. 
     She followed her soldier from camp to camp until his unit was 
     deployed overseas, and then waited to join him when he 
     returned.
       In the fall of 1943 the 104th Infantry Division moved from 
     Camp Adair, Oregon, with its wet and rainy climate, to the 
     dry desert of Camp Hyder, Arizona. The division's encampment 
     was known as Camp Horn, and the location was described as in 
     the Arizona Desert on the Southern Pacific Railroad somewhere 
     between Phoenix and Yuma, Arizona. Then Lt. Smith and his 
     lady Jane found a rooming house in Phoenix where they rented 
     quarters from a couple who became lifelong friends, Guy and 
     Esther Gaston. Here they spent weekends when Lt. Smith was 
     not in the field on maneuvers. Having bought their first car, 
     Jane learned to drive on the dusty unpaved streets and roads 
     of west Phoenix, Gila Bend and Hyder. This was their first 
     experience in Arizona, and they must have liked it since they 
     returned after the war.
       From Arizona, the Division went to Camp Carson, Colorado, 
     and then to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, for overseas deployment. 
     In late summer 1944, the Division landed in Cherbourg, France 
     and was transported soon thereafter to the Belgium/Holland 
     area where it was committed to combat attached to the First 
     British Corps of the First Canadian Army. Its mission was to 
     assist in clearing the approaches to the Port of Antwerp. 
     Jane, of course, stayed in the United States, where she bore 
     their first daughter, Norma. John did not see his daughter 
     until he returned from Europe in the summer of 1945 after 
     V.E. Day.
       The 104th Infantry Division had an outstanding combat 
     record in Europe, serving continuously in combat for 195 
     consecutive days. It served under British and Canadian 
     command, as well as under the First and Ninth United States 
     Armies. It inflicted over 18,000 casualties and captured 
     2,000 towns and communities, including the great cities of 
     Cologne, Eshweiler and Halle. It took 52,000 prisoners in the 
     great sweep across Germany to the Elbe and Mulde Rivers where 
     it met the Russian forces on April 26, 1945. It also 
     liberated two Nazi concentration camps where, in addition 
     to the stark reality of combat, Gen. Smith saw and 
     experienced some of the worst examples of man's inhumanity 
     to his fellow man.
       During these campaigns, Gen. Smith was awarded the Combat 
     Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and 
     the French Croix de Guerre with Palms. MG Terry de la Mesa 
     Allen, Commanding General of the 104th Infantry Division 
     specifically commended him and other officers for the fine 
     performance in the European Theatre of operations. As most 
     combat veterans, he spoke little of his wartime experiences.
       In June 1945, after V.E. Day, the Division moved to Camp 
     Lucky Strike near Dieppe and La Havre, France, and then 
     sailed to New York for redeployment to the Pacific Theatre of 
     operations. After leave, the men of the Division reassembled 
     at Camp San Luis Obispo, California, on August 1, 1945, for 
     combat refresher training and deployment in the Pacific. 
     Through the use of its nuclear power, the U.S. compelled the 
     surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945, and the Division, no 
     longer needed in the Pacific, was thereafter deactivated.
       Gen. Smith was separated from active duty as a Major in 
     November 1945, and he, Jane and Norma journeyed from Camp San 
     Luis Obispo, California, to Statesboro, Georgia. After seeing 
     family and friends, he went ``job looking,'' as he put it, 
     and found that Georgia was not a good place to find a job. He 
     contacted his friend Guy Gaston in Phoenix, Arizona, and 
     through contacts with the American Legion, he became a 
     contact officer for the Veterans Administration and settled 
     his family permanently in Phoenix where his second daughter 
     Sharon and son Guy were born.
       He was in the organized reserve following his separation 
     from active duty until May of 1949 when he joined the Arizona 
     Army National Guard. He remained employed with the Veterans 
     Administration until 1952, when he became Executive Officer 
     of the National Guard serving under Adjutants General Frank 
     Frazier and later J. Clyde Wilson. I first met Gen. Smith on 
     one of his trips to Washington with Gen. Wilson in 1957 when 
     they came to see Senator Carl Hayden from whom I was working 
     at the time.
       In June of 1960, Gen. Smith became the U.S. Property and 
     Fiscal Officer for Arizona, and served in that position for 
     the next 15 years, with Adjutants General J. Clyde Wilson, 
     Joe Ahee, Jackson Bogle and Charles Fernald.
       In July 1975 he was appointed Adjutant General of Arizona 
     by Governor Raul Castro and promoted to Major General. He was 
     reappointed twice by Governor Bruce Babbitt and retired in 
     November 1983, at which time he was given his third star and 
     promoted to Lieutenant General.
       He was an enthusiastic and cheerful individual with a ``can 
     do'' attitude. During his tenure as the U.S. Property and 
     Fiscal Officer, it operated smoothly and efficiently, 
     providing the troops with all logistical needs. As Adjutant 
     General, he presided over a major expansion of the Arizona 
     Army National Guard that almost doubled its troop strength 
     and placed new units in a number of Arizona's rural 
     communities. A number of new armories and facilities were 
     started during his tenure. He also supported major 
     expansion and new missions for the Air National Guard. 
     While Adjutant General, he convinced the Pentagon to put 
     the Arizona National Guard in command of the Navajo Army 
     Depot near Flagstaff and to operate the munitions storage 
     facility with Guard troops. This was the first time an 
     active Army installation came under control of a state 
     National Guard.
       General Smith had outstanding characteristics of 
     leadership. Unlike so many of his contemporaries who chose 
     Patton as their model, Gen. Smith chose to emulate General 
     Omar Bradley. He was a soldier's General--a diplomat, 
     courteous and compassionate in even the most difficult 
     situations. He was honest and sincere. He never played a 
     part; he was always himself. He made ordinary people feel 
     good and that they were important. He always had time for 
     anyone who wanted to talk to him. As Adjutant General, he 
     established an ``open door'' policy that was followed 
     throughout the command. He got along well with private 
     soldiers, generals, senators and cabinet members.
       When he was Adjutant General and I served as his Troop 
     Commander, I would go to see him on some difficult policy or 
     personnel matter, and when we were through, he would always 
     thank me for coming to see him. This always surprised me. 
     Jane tells me that it was his habit to thank her and the 
     children for the smallest thing, like passing him a glass of 
     water. This character of southern gentleness--one might say 
     almost chivalrous conduct--made him stand out as if he were 
     from an earlier and more noble time. This manner earned him 
     the loyalty and respect of his peers and subordinates alike. 
     He was well respected and highly regarded by his fellow 
     Adjutants General and the officers with whom he worked in the 
     National Guard Bureau. Every Arizona Governor with whom he 
     worked had the highest regard for him, including Governors 
     Pyle, McFarland, Williams, Fannin, Goddard, Castro Bolin, 
     Babbitt and Mofford. The Arizona Congressional Delegation 
     always looked to him for advice on military issues and 
     reserve and national guard matters. Even with his abilities, 
     he could not have succeeded without the help of others. In 
     this regard, I know he would have wanted special mention made 
     of three ladies who took care of him as his assistants and 
     secretaries during his service in the Guard and of whom he 
     thought so highly. These ladies are: Helen Glenn, Marilyn 
     Pomerenke and Anna Kroger. Another friend of long standing 
     whose acquaintance with General Smith goes back to their days 
     with the 104th Division in Germany is now retired Sgt. 
     ``Pinky'' Martinez. Mention should also be made of 
     individuals who have gone before him and on whom be counted 
     during those busy years. Special mention should be made of 
     General Bob Pettycrew, Sam Krevitsky, Norman Erb and Dr. Mark 
     Westervelt.
       During his years as Adjutant General when a crisis would 
     arise, General Smith would assemble a small staff to advise 
     him, which he would call his ``crisis staff.'' Although 
     others might be involved, depending upon the issues, always 
     there was Gen. Jay Brashear, this eulogist and Bob Pettycrew, 
     in whom Gen. Smith had such confidence and on whom he always 
     relied.
       Even though he had a busy career, he always had time for 
     his family. He was a loving husband and father. His children 
     recall his playing ball and other athletic events with them. 
     They recall picnics and his love of a backyard barbecue and 
     cookout. Although they mention that sometimes the meat was 
     cooked a little too well, he would tell them that was the 
     southern way. He took his family on trips and taught them the 
     history and heritage of our state and nation. He was a firm 
     believer in the biblical commandment to honor thy father and 
     mother. We have all heard him speak of his family in Georgia, 
     especially his mother whom he worshipped. He was faithful in 
     his pilgrimage to Georgia every year or so to see her until 
     her passing a few years ago.
       General Smith also found time for civic activities. He was 
     Chairman of the Arizona State Fair Commission, a member of 
     the Phoenix Urban League, Federal Executives Association, 
     Arizona Emergency Services Association, and Military Affairs 
     Committee of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. He was also a 
     lifetime member of the Timberwolf Association, the 
     Association of the United States Army, American Legion and 
     National Guard Associations of Arizona and the United States. 
     He enjoyed life. When I last saw him just before he went into 
     the hospital, he told me ``I have had a good life. I have 
     enjoyed all of it.''
       General Smith did have a fine and successful personal and 
     military career. In addition to his combat decorations 
     previously mentioned, he was awarded the Distinguished 
     Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, Army Commendation Medal, 
     the Arizona Distinguished Service Medal, and many other 
     medals and decorations. He was inducted into the Infantry 
     Hall of Fame at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
       General John G. Smith passed away on July 6, 1994. In 
     describing him and his career, I think of the words duty, 
     honor, loyalty and integrity. He will be sorely missed. 
     Although he has answered that final bugle call, he will not 
     be forgotten. As the poet Angelo Patri said:
       ``In one sense there is no death. The life of a soul on 
     earth last beyond his departure. * * * He lives on in your 
     life and in the lives of all others that knew him.''
       And so it will be with General John Smith. This kind and 
     gentle man left the world a better place than he found it. He 
     touched all of our lives and we are all richer for having 
     known him.--Curtis A. Jennings, Brigadier General (ret.) 
     Arizona Army National Guard.

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