David H. Smith – Colonel, United States Army

From a contemporary press report:

David H. Smith, 86, a former Army Colonel who served in World War II and the Korean War and later worked in Army intelligence, died September 30, 1999 at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital of cardiac arrest.

Colonel Smith retired from the Army in 1968 and started a decade-long second career as a salesman at Sears in Alexandria.

Colonel Smith, who was born in Des Moines, worked as a salesman at an office-supply store in Iowa and spent seven years in the Iowa National Guard before his unit was sent to Europe and North Africa in 1942.

For his service during World War II and Korea, Colonel Smith won the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

He was promoted to colonel in 1953 and became assistant chief of staff for intelligence at the Pentagon in the late 1950s. He graduated from the Command and General Staff College, the Army War College and the Army Intelligence School.

For his intelligence work, he was stationed in Kansas, France and the Washington area. He lived in Alexandria for more than three decades.

After blindness set in during the late 1970s, Colonel Smith had to curtail his avocations of fishing and woodwork. Until then, he often built grandfather clocks and gave them to family members.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Annabelle M. Smith of Alexandria; a son, Jerry L. Smith of Falls Church; five daughters, Kerry A. Sadler of Alexandria, Shirley F. Winn of Sandy, Utah, Carol A. Willis of Columbus, Ohio, Lola K. Doty of Titusville, Fla., and Lila M. Cencula of Marysville, Ohio; 15 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandchild; and a sister.

SMITH, DAVID HOLLIS, COL, USA (Ret.)

On September 30, 1999, at Mount Vernon Hospital, DAVID H. SMITH, husband of Annabelle M. Smith; father of Shirley Winn, Jerry Smith, Carol Willis, Lola Doty, Lila Cencula and Kerry Sadler; brother of Mary Weidner. Also survived by 15 grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. Funeral services, Ft. Myer Chapel, 9 a.m., Wednesday, October 13. Interment Arlington National Cemetery.

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