James Cliffton Smith Jr. (5 September 1923 – 14 December 2016) was a major general in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who served as commander of the United States Army Aviation Center and commandant of the Army Aviation School from 1976 to 1978. He previously served as commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division from 1971 to 1973.

Early life and education

Smith was born in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, where his father was a sergeant major in the

6th Cavalry Regiment The 6th Cavalry ("Fighting Sixth'") is a regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviation ...

at Fort Oglethorpe. When he enlisted in the Army on 30 June 1942, a review board waived basic training and instead sent him to officer candidate school at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

. Smith completed fixed-wing flight training for artillery observation at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark a ...

in November 1946. He later received helicopter flight training and, in 1961, completed a Bachelor of General Studies degree in military science at the

University of Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was origin ...

. Smith graduated from the

Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1957 and the Army War College.

Military career

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Smith was sent to Europe after being commissioned as a second lieutenant of cavalry on 14 January 1943. While serving as a platoon leader, he was shot several times by a German sniper. Smith was awarded the

Silver Star Medal The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an ...

and a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

. He also saw combat duty during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, receiving two

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

s. On his first combat tour during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, Smith in turn commanded the Support Command, 1st Cavalry Division; the 1st Squadron,

9th Cavalry The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was part of what was known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The regiment saw combat d ...

, 1st Cavalry Division; and the 1st Brigade (Airborne), 1st Cavalry Division. On his second tour, he served as deputy commander of the

1st Aviation Brigade The 1st Aviation Brigade is an aviation brigade of the United States Army, stationed at Fort Novosel in Alabama. It commands three distinctly different battalions—the 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment; the 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation ...

and then as assistant commander of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. The 101st is designed to plan, coordinat ...

. He was awarded a second Silver Star Medal, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and an

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

. After briefly serving as commander of the 1st Armored Division in 1971, Smith assumed command of the 1st Cavalry Division on 5 May 1971 at

Fort Hood Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...

after the division returned to the United States from Vietnam. He relinquished command in January 1973. Smith later served as commander of the Army Aviation Center and

Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a United States Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was formerly named in honor of Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, an Army aviator and Medal of Honor recipient. It was previously nam ...

from July 1976 to December 1978. His final assignment was as director of training in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans in the Department of the Army at the Pentagon. Smith retired from active duty on 28 February 1981 after almost thirty-nine years of military service.

Personal

Smith was married to Doris Smith for sixty-six years. The couple had seven children and twelve grandchildren. After his death in

Lawrenceville, Georgia Lawrenceville is a city in and the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is a suburb of Atlanta, located approximately northeast of downtown. It was incorporated on December 15, 1821. As of the 2020 census, the populatio ...

, Smith was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

on 27 September 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, James Cliffton 1923 births 2016 deaths United States Army soldiers Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Silver Star American Master Army Aviators United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni University of Nebraska Omaha alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) People from Lawrenceville, Georgia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery