U.S. Army Air Force veteran Edwin Smith celebrated his 100th birthday on April 12, and the community of Barren County, Kentucky, stepped forward to honor him with pomp and circumstance.
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps members at Barren County High School posted flags and presented a folded American flag on behalf of a grateful nation. Letters from elected officials and civic organizations were read. Hundreds of people mailed cards. Schoolchildren created cards filled with birthday greetings and messages of patriotic pride.
“I never thought I would live this long, but it’s a wonderful day,” Smith said as he greeted family, friends, and strangers.
His birthday celebration started the previous month when he was honored by the Barren County Fiscal Court and his alma mater, Western Kentucky University, honored him with a distinguished alumni award. The award was presented to him by centenarian J. Lee Robertson, who also served in World War II.
Robertson welcomed him to the “Century Club,” and the two shared stories of their remarkable lives. They teased each other about their college days, with Robertson saying that “he was in the library studying while Smith was chasing women.”
Smith laughed as he recalled riding his bike nearly 30 miles to see a girl.
“We couldn’t go out when I got there because we didn’t have any money. So I would visit and ride back home,” Smith said.
While in the service, Smith learned to fix and fly various planes, including Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-29 Superfortresses, and his successful career was celebrated when he was promoted to second lieutenant.
“The Air Force taught me everything I know about planes. I had never even been on a plane before joining the service,” he said. “I loved flying and learning every detail about the planes.”
Surviving a Tragedy
Smith was stationed in New Mexico when his unit was assigned on Aug. 17, 1945, to fly to Meacham Field in Fort Worth, Texas, to complete five radar-controlled bombing runs and then return.
“This was just three days after the Japanese imperial government had made an announcement of surrender and many considered that World War II was over; yet, we were still training and were told we were going to Saipan, where there was still resistance,” Smith said.
He was the co-pilot that night and was confident in the skills of each member of the crew. They flew into Fort Worth at about 9 p.m. and completed the first round successfully, even with some mechanical issues. The plane would drop 200 feet, then correct itself and rise 200 feet above the 15,000 altitudes, then back down.
“The plane was going through the air like a dolphin,” Smith said.
Yet, they persevered.
As the pilot began to make the southerly bank, Smith heard him say, “Oh my God!” As he looked up from the instrument panel, Smith saw a blue light and felt an impact. He thought they had hit a passenger plane.
The collision caused the plane to explode and catch fire quickly due to the massive amounts of fuel on board. As the plane veered toward the ground, its fate was sealed.
“I knew nobody was going to survive, and I figured my best option was to parachute out,” Smith said.
He adjusted his parachute and ripcord as he planned to escape out of the co-pilot window. He attempted to climb out of the window, but he couldn’t pull himself through the small opening, unable to free his lower body. The parachute didn’t open.
“The slipstream was so strong; I couldn’t straighten up. I knew at that point I was going to die, and I began to pray that God would save my soul. I knew he couldn’t save my life, but I wanted him to save my soul,” Smith said.
As he pulled back inside of the window, in a moment of miraculous intervention, the ripcord on his parachute deployed, ripping his body out of the window and propelling him into the air. He floated in and out of consciousness for an unknown period of time. He believed that he was dead and mistook the silence and darkness for eternity.
He believes that he hit the ground at least three times, and each time, the parachute propelled him back into the air. His injuries prevented him from escaping or closing the parachute until it became entangled.
In the early morning hours, he was awakened when authorities found him in a field surrounded by burning debris from the aircraft. The doctor asked for a parachute kit and said to give him both shots of morphine.
“It might kill him, but he’s near death anyway,” Smith recalled hearing the doctor say.
No Clothes and Empty Barracks
Smith recalls that the hospital didn’t have air conditioning or many modern comforts. Yet he persevered through several surgeries and physical therapy. Eventually, while Smith was preparing to be dismissed, a commanding officer reminded him that officers had to pay for their clothes.This created a challenge because Smith didn’t have any money. When they left that evening on the training mission, they were instructed not to bring any personal items or identification, only their dog tags.
He credits the American Red Cross with helping him obtain a khaki uniform with no insignia, a hat, and a pair of shoes from the PX. The Army gave him a one-way ticket to return to his base in Clovis, New Mexico.
“The barracks were empty, as if no one had ever been there. The beds were still made, and the windows were open just like they left them the evening we left. All of our personal belongings were gone,” Smith said.
“I sat down on my bunk to pray for the souls of the crew and I cried. I was 22 years old and in the last 36 days had endured just about all I thought I could stand. My personal belongings never arrived home. I don’t know what happened to them.”
His injuries were so severe that he was discharged in September 1945, and the Army gave him $400 cash for his travels home. He arrived home wearing his khaki uniform with no insignia of rank.
Building a New Life
After his time in the service, Smith enrolled at the University of Tennessee for two years and then transferred to Bowling Green Business University, which became Western Kentucky University, where he earned a degree in accounting. His career included working with the IRS, selling and buying real estate, and auctioneering.“My life was tough,” he said as he reflected on his early years.
Smith was raised in a one-room log cabin without water and electricity. As a young child, he caught typhoid fever before the vaccine was invented, and he nearly died.
“At that time, the standard of treatment was to starve the fever. Thankfully, a traveling doctor came to the house and told my parents to feed me,” he said with a smile.
Smith often reflects on his high school football career in which his team was undefeated.
“I was offered a football scholarship to attend the University of Louisville, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor, I joined the military in December 1941. I wanted to serve my country,” he said.
Smith followed in the footsteps of his father, who served in World War I, and his grandfather, who served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War.
“We were a strong and patriotic family. They are all gone, except I have one living sister, Willa Taylor. She is older than I am, but don’t tell her age, she wouldn’t like that,” he said, thrilled that she attended his 100th birthday party after having not seen her since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honoring the Flight Crews
There isn’t a great deal of information available about this accident. It’s unknown if any investigation was conducted or if there were mechanical glitches. Open record requests to the Department of Defense haven’t been fulfilled as of this writing.
However, one veteran learned about the accident and began a quest to know the story.
While working at the local firehouse, U.S. Navy veteran Bob Hopkins liked to read through old log books. He found an entry from Aug. 17, 1945, that read, “Plane crash. No survivors.”
He began researching local newspapers and eventually learned that there were two survivors. As he learned their stories, he felt compelled to coordinate efforts with the local historical society to erect historic markers to honor the crews of the two bombers.
On Oct. 18, 2003, 58 years after the crash, historic markers were placed. At that time, Smith was 75 years of age.
Twenty-five years later, Hopkins was thrilled to hear of Smith’s 100th birthday celebration and the community’s efforts to honor him.
“Imagine being alive before the end of World War II, before modern highways, before television. I believe there are a handful of unforgettable people that come into our lives, those that make incredible impressions and do unforgettable and fantastic things. He is that kind of person. He has lived an incredible life of greatness and honor,” Hopkins said.
“A failed ripcord, yet an opened parachute. Nothing short of a miracle.”
Words to Live By
When Edwin Smith’s daughter, Becky Smith Kingery, graduated from high school in 1987, he used his manual typewriter to prepare eight statements of advice. Becky carries these with her to this day.- Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, and good health.
- Never try to get even with your enemies.
- Expect ingratitude.
- Count your blessings—not your troubles.
- Do not imitate others.
- Create happiness for others.
- Be thankful for what you have and don’t worry about what you don’t have.
- Pray often.
