World War Two Army Soldier honored by Gage County Board

BEATRICE – Gage County resumed its veterans honors program Wednesday, recognizing Frank W. Smith… who fought in Italy in World War Two.
Veterans Service Officer Scott Bates says Smith, who just turned 100 years of age…enlisted June 10th of 1942 in the U.S. Army, and was honorably discharged as a corporal in November of 1945.

"He was awarded the World War Two Campaign Medal with three Bronze Starts (for three battles)...he was also awarded the Good Conduct Medal. Frank turned 100 May 5th, and he's still delivering meals to seniors in the community."

Smith told Gage County Board members he appreciated the recognition and said there are a lot of good memories and bad memories about wartime service. He said it meant a lot to volunteer for service to his country.

Smith went from California to the east coast, to be sent overseas aboard a liberty ship…a no-frills boat that survived a German U-Boat attack and rough seas.  Smith recounted going into Algeria and Italy, describing being fired upon by German Aircraft at the P-T Boat he and other troops occupied…then later being targeted by bombers as troops were traveling through a wooded region.

"We people here in Nebraska, live in peace, most of the time....and it's hard for anyone to imagine those things without experiencing them."

Smith described meeting people who were very poor and the friendships he made with some Italians. Then… there was the experience of prisoner of war camps.

"We hear some people say there weren't any concentration camps...and these things didn't happen. I was at Dachau....a prison camp, I was at the gas chambers...I was at the execution post, where so many people had been executed that the blood ran on the ground. And do you know what? The plants there were more profuse than they were elsewhere, because of the blood that fed them. And you wonder how people could do things, like that."

Smith was honorably discharged from the Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Gage County has been honoring the county’s veterans of military service for several years, now...provided them with a plaque to recognized their dedication to their nation.