Clifford Ross Smith – Commander, United States Navy

From a contemporary press report:

Clifford Ross Smith, 72, a retired Navy Commander who served aboard cruisers and destroyers in aviation assignments, died of complications of emphysema December 26, 2003, at Prince William Hospital in Manassas.

Commander Smith served 25 years in the Navy before retiring in 1977. His assignments included duty in Saigon, Pensacola, Florida, Norfolk and Washington. His decorations included a Bronze Star. He worked at the National Security Agency and in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

He was born in Rockville, Missouri, and graduated from the University of Missouri. He settled in the Washington area in 1967. He was a resident of Haymarket.

In retirement, Commander Smith was vice president of the systems support division of ALM Arlington, a defense contractor. He later worked for another defense contractor, ISI, in Falls Church.

He was a Boy Scout volunteer.

Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Smith of Haymarket; two children, Dexter Smith of Columbia and Deborah Perdue of Glen Burnie; two brothers; and six grandchildren.

SMITH, CLIFFORD R
CDR   US NAVY
VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 06/05/1952 – 03/21/1977
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/24/1931
DATE OF DEATH: 12/26/2003
DATE OF INTERMENT: 02/19/2004
BURIED AT: SECTION 66  SITE 4415

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard