- James Thomas Smith
Rear Admiral James Thomas Smith (
November 1 ,1908 -June 28 ,1990 ) was a U. S. Naval officer duringWorld War II .Early years
Smith was born in Howell, Tennessee, to James Hillary Brewer and Mary Elizabeth (Pickle) Smith. Following graduation from Lincoln County High School and a year at Bryson Junior College, he entered the U. S. Naval Academy in 1927, graduating in the class of 1931. He married Margaret (Peggy) Glasgow of
Long Beach, California , in August 1932.Pre war years
After a successful solo at the end of elimination
flight training at NAS North Island inSan Diego Bay , Smith's first assignment afloat was in the USS "Texas", and between 1933 and 1938 he had consecutive duty in thedestroyer s USS "Roper", USS "Rathburne", USS "Aaron Ward", USS "Pillsbury" (onChina Station), and USS "Herbert". He next had instruction in general line at theNaval Postgraduate School inAnnapolis, Maryland , and in September 1939 joined the destroyer USS "Breckinridge" asExecutive Officer .World War II
Transferred to the USS "Dewey" in February 1941, he was serving as Engineering Officer of that destroyer, based at
Pearl Harbor , when theJapan ese attacked the Naval Base there onDecember 7 , 1941. Throughout the most part of World War II, he had duty in destroyers, serving as Executive and Commanding Officer of the USS "Mahan" (May 1942-December 1943) and in command of the USS "English", which he commissioned. During the war in the Pacific he participated in action offBougainville Island , theBattle of the Coral Sea , attack and occupation of Salamaua-Lae, and in action at Finschhafen, Araw,Manilla ,Hong Kong ,Saigon ,Formosa ,Okinawa ,Tokyo , andIwo Jima . For his outstanding service during the war he was awarded theSilver Star , the Bronze Star withCombat "V" , thePurple Heart , and a Letter of Commendation with Ribbon.Post war years
In May 1945 Smith was assigned to Reserve Officer Promotions in the
Bureau of Naval Personnel ,Navy Department , and for a year, June 1947-May 1948, was a student (Senior Course) at theNaval War College ,Newport, Rhode Island . After an assignment on the staff of the Commander First Fleet, he reported in June 1950 as Executive Officer of the Department ofMarine Engineering at the Naval Academy. From July 1952 until September 1953 he commanded the attack transport USS "Menifee", operating in the Korean area during the hostilities there, and during August and September 1953 served additionally as Senior Officer Present Afloat atInchon ,Korea . He was head of the Joint and Combined Operation Section, Amphibious Warfare Branch, Office of theChief of Naval Operations , Navy Department in 1953 and 1954, after which he was in command of theNaval Receiving Station , San Diego, California. From November 1957 to retirement in January 1958 he was Assistant Chief of Staff for Administration to the Commandant of the Fourteenth Naval District with headquarters inPearl Harbor, Hawaii .Retirement
Upon retirement, Admiral Smith traveled, worked at
Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts , pursued hobbies such as leatherwork andphotography , and playedgolf . He eventually settled inAlpine, California , near San Diego where he died. He and his wife Peggy, who died in 1995, are buried atFort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.External links
*findagrave|3431985 Retrieved on
2008-07-26
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