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name
SMITH, John Warner Jr - Date of
birth
11 April 1921 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee -
Hometown
Old Hickory, Davidson County, Tennessee
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
14035702 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
96th Squadron,
440th Troop Carrier Group
-
Awards
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Died non-Battle - Date of
death
6 May 1945 - Place of
death
Near Jarny, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 17 | 98 |
Immediate family
-
Members
John W. Smith (father)
Lessie Smith (mother)
Earl L. Smith (brother)
Virginia Smith (sister)
Marion G. Smith (wife)
Pamela M. Smith (daughter)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-68695 -
Data
Type: C-53D-DO
Destination: A-64
Mission: Supply
MACR: 15363
More information
T/Sgt John W. Smith Jr. joined the Regular Army in Fort McPherson Atlanta, Georgia on 14 November 1940.Sgt Smith, who was a graduate of du Pont High School, received his training at McDill Field, Fla.
Statement from 2nd Lt William J. Hamrick:
"Murphy and Brown slid in a little too close on takeoff and they started to roll out to the left. I could tell the pilot was trying to pull up but the weight of the cargo shifted to the left and they couldn’t pull it up. They came down but didn’t make it out. The plane hit and went off like a bomb had exploded. They were hauling gas,” he said. All three crew members were killed."
T/Sgt Smith was first buried at Temporary American Military Cemetery Limey, France.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Astrid van Erp, Carla Mans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1940 Census / U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.newspapers.com - The Tennessean
Photo Source: , www.newspapers.com - The Tennessean / The Tampa Tribune 19 May 1945