Military Spotlight: Corporal James Smith, Jr.
Each year, Veterans Day provides us with the special opportunity to recognize and honor those men and women who serve in our nation’s armed forces. This Veterans Day, the staff of the Urban News extends a special ‘Thank You’ to those who have served, and continue to serve, our great nation.
Former Marine Corporal James “Sonny” Smith, Jr., son of the late Cora Smith Baten and James L. Smith, was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal of Honor.
According to his commendation:
While in active combat, and observing that his machine gun team was in critical need of additional ammunition, Corporal Smith, with complete disregard for the hostile rounds impacting near him, fearlessly maneuvered across the fire-swept terrain gathering ammunition from other gun teams and ammunition carriers.
Corporal Smith returned to his machine gun team, thereby contributing significantly to silencing of the enemy’s hostile fires. Constantly concerned for the combat readiness of his unit, Smith tirelessly trained his military comrades, and molded them into an effective fighting force.
Smith says of his active military experiences, “Shortly after I graduated from high school I was deployed to Vietnam. After two months there, I felt that I would not survive my tour (my comrades were being killed all around me). My major concern was that I would have the strength to die bravely, and not as a coward. Because of God’s grace and mercy I survived my military tour.”
Smith went on to earn a BS (Cum Laude) in Business and Economics with a minor in Accounting, and gained a full scholarship to the University of Wisconsin from which he received a Masters in Business Administration.
