George Walter Smith Jr.

My name is George Walter Smitb Jr. 1 was born January 18, 1913 in Cement, Oklahoma. My family moved to Houston, Texas when I was eleven months old. When the first Sunday came around 1 was enrolled in the nursery of the Heights First Baptist Church. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was nine years old. In 1937 I met Mabel Lee King and married her in October 1942, in San Diego, one week before going overseas for the first time.

I joined the Marines on April 10, 1942. I spent the first months in Boot Camp, Radio School and Parachute Jump School. I was placed into the Second Parachute Battalion. I married Mabel at the Justice of Peace, and on the way out one of our witnesses said, "This will never last."" 1 left San Diego for New Caledonia, in the South Pacific. We made six training jumps there, and then moved on to Vella Lavella.

On October 28, 1943, the Second Parachute Battalion made an opposed night landing on the northeast coast of the island of Choiseul to divert enemy attention from the pending assault on Bougainville. The company 1 was with made a mortar attack on a Japanese installation on Guppy Island, off the coast of Choiseul. Two Navy Torpedo boats (one commanded by Lieutenant JG John F. Kennedy) assisted us in returning to Choiseul.

After these operations, my battalion returned to San Diego for further training and to join the newly formed Fifth Marine Division. Mabel was able to spend those five months with me. In July 1944, the Fifth Division sailed for Hawaii for final training for the Iwo Jima landing. While there waiting for all the units to join us, 1 received word through the Red Cross that Mabel had our first daughter.

We made the amphibious assault on Iwo Jima the morning of February 19, 1945. The Fourth and Fifth Divisions went in first. The Twenty Eighth Regiment went to the South and the Fourth and a portion of the Fifth Division went north. The next day my regiment, the Twenty Eighth, began the assault on Mt. Suribachi. Three days later, elements of our outfit seized the crest of the mountain and hoisted the American flag over the summit. We thought we had it made but soon found out that the Japanese who were not killed had gone underground to the north part of the Island. We learned there were snipers the hard way. A buddy and I were out stringing wire. There was a single shot, and my buddy was hit. I picked him up and put him in the jeep and drove to get help. There was not another shot fired; unfortunately my friend died. We rejoined with the remainder of the Fifth Division and the Third Division was called in. On March 27th, 37 days after the first landing, after 5,931 Marines were killed, and 17,272 were wounded, we began departing Iwo Jima.

Were there times when I was afraid? SURE! However, since that day back in 1932, I always knew whose hands I was in. Because of my certainty in my belief, 1 have never, not even for one minute, worried about death; I've always known when it's my time to go, it's my time to go. I prayed many prayers from the day I joined the Marines: aboard ships, during landings, running from fox hole to fox hole, in fox holes, and on my knees for my family, my Marine buddies and for me. l was discharged on April 9, 1946. Today I have three daughters, five grandchildren, and 62 years later Mabel's still here; I guess we showed that clerk! My prayers and my faith not only •sustained me through everything the war threw at me, but also the ups and downs of a life which I think has truly been blessed.