Dale William Smith – Master Sergeant, United States Army

Arlington National Cemetery: Section 67, Grave 4124

Dale William Smith was born on 21 July 1942 in Des Moines, Iowa.  He attended North High School and joined the United States Army in December of 1963 at Fort Carson, Colorado, at the age of 21. After a career of twenty years, he retired as a Master Sergeant at Fort Irwin, California,  in January 1984.

During his service to America, Sergeant Smith was qualified as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist and he served in that role for eleven years and eleven months and did much VIP support work with the likes of former American Presidents and their families. He was also qualified as and Electronic Warfare/Signal Intelligence Chief and served in that role for nineteen years and four months.  He traveled extensively during his Army career and had a tremendous thirst of learning about different peoples, their cultures and their countries.

During his career, Sergeant Smith served in Vietnam during the war there. His brother was killed-in-action in Vietnam.

In 1978, he was serving at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, when he met his soon-to-be wife, Barbara. They were married at West Point.

He was the recipient of the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge, Overseas Service Bars, Senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge, the Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), Pistol Expert, Rifle (M16) Marksman, Rifle (M14) Marksman, Vietnam Defense Medal, Vietnam Counter Offensive Medal, Vietnam Counter Offensive Phase III, Overseas Service Ribbon (3), Army Service Ribbon, Master EOD Badge, Driver Badge with bar, Good Conduct Medal (sixth award).

Following his military retirement in 1984, Sergeant Smith worked for Lockheed Martin in California as a Safety Engineer, later moving to Alabama where he continued to work with Lockheed.

Sergeant Smith died on 13 January 2002 and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on 23 January 2002.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Smith of Troy, Alabama; one son, Douglas A. Smith, of California, a writer, one daughter, Staff Sergeant Maureen Anne Stewart United States Air Force; 3 granddaughters, Murphy Davin Smith of California; Veda Dale Stewart of Maryland; Jovie Shea Stewart of Maryland; and one grandson Finnegan Roy Smith of California. Sergeant Stewart is now based at Fort Mead, Maryland where her (MOS) is “Instructor” for “Videography/Documentation/Combat Camera.”

In recognition of his EOD work, Sergeant Smith has been honored by having a Bomb Detection dog named after him by the Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Squad. “Dale,” a Yellow Labrador formally joined the Squad in January of 2003.

I picture in my dreaming
Dear Old Glory floating high
And the hush of waiting men,
‘Neath a lovely summer sky
And the roaring of the volleys,
And the echoes from each tree
Then the bowing of each head,
When Taps is blown for me.

SMITH, DALE W
MSG   US ARMY
VIETNAM
DATE OF BIRTH: 07/21/1942
DATE OF DEATH: 01/13/2002
BURIED AT: SECTION 67  SITE 4124
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

David W. Newton

David W. Newton is a board certified pharmacist and also has been a board member for boards of examiners for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy since 1983. His areas of expertise are primarily pharmaceuticals as well as cannabinoids. You can read an article about his expertise in CBD on the National Library of Medicine.

Reviewed by: Kim Chin and Marian Newton