‘The Greatest Generation’ | World War II veteran James Elmer Smith celebrates birthday No. 101
A man who embodies the Greatest Generation celebrated another milestone in his remarkable life last week in Cape Coral.
James Elmer Smith, a World War II Navy veteran who was on Utah Beach during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day and served in both the European and Pacific Theaters, marked birthday 101.
Surrounded by friends and family at Highpoint of Cape Coral, Smith blew out the candles and told stories of a bygone era while all in attendance hung on every word.
He spoke of his time in Italy and “Anzio Annie,” the German Krupp 5K Railway Gun. He talked of seeing a suicide-mission pilot just before his plane went down, making eye-contact with the enemy. He told of a time where he witnessed multiple torpedoes from an enemy submarine, but that it went under the boat as the Landing Ship Tank he was on did not sit under the water compared to a usual destroyer.
“The LST is the same length as a destroyer,” Smith said. “The Germans figured it would be the same (length underwater). (The destroyer) drew down about 18 feet. The LST was only 7 feet. The Germans liked to hit the bottom of the ship. The LST gave us plenty of room under it.
“When I saw (the torpedo) coming, it looked like it was going to hit. I thought for sure it was coming. I said, ‘Blessed Mother, standby I’ll be seeing you in two seconds. And you too, Jesus.’ And nothing happened. I thought maybe it’s not supposed to hurt.”
Smith enlisted in the U.S. Navy on June 25, 1942, as an apprentice seaman in Indianapolis. Smith is a Terre Haute, Indiana native.
He was transferred to the Naval Training Station in Great Lakes Illinois for boot camp at Camp Moffett, and completed signalman school training at Butler University.
Smith made signalman 3rd Class after two months before being sent to Little Creek, Virginia to join a crew being formed on LST-197.
He was ported out of Palermo for the invasion of Salerno in September of 1943. Smith made signalman 2nd Class and joined another LST at Bizerte for the invasion of Sicily in October of 1943, and was sent to Naples for the invasion of Anzio in February of ’44.
From there, Smith went to England in the spring of 1944 to prepare for the Normandy invasion, landing on Utah Beach on the morning of D-Day.
He went back to the U.S. in the summer of ’44 and went aboard LST-1045 in Pittsburgh to serve in the Pacific Theater.
“On the LST out in the Pacific, the Japanese didn’t have too many planes left,” Smith said. “The government had them suicide dive bomb into big ships — battleships, cruisers, carriers. This plane went over us, and I’m looking at it and I can see the pilot right inside. And he looked my way, and I gave him a smile and a wave. His eyes got big, and he was after a destroyer on the other side. It landed about 20 feet from the destroyer. That look on his face… they must have chained him or locked the key. That’s the only thing I could figure. He had time to come out of it, and I think he could’ve if he would.”
Smith was discharged in late December 1945 as a signalman 2nd Class.
Army General John Bathke, a 37-year veteran, shared some words for Smith and touched on the Greatest Generation.
“I truly believe that you are the Greatest Generation,” Bathke said to Smith. “There’s no doubt in my mind. It’s hard for us to imagine what you went through in the Great Depression, and right out of that came the World War. That required the mobilization of the entire country. Eleven million Americans were activated to fight and win World War II.”
Bathke also quoted Tom Brokaw’s book about World War II, titled, “The Greatest Generation.”
“It is I believe the greatest generation any society has produced,” said Bathke quoting Brokaw. “It tells the stories of a generation, American citizens, heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the second World War and went to build modern America. This generation was united by common values: duty, honor, courage, service, love, love of family and country, and above all, respect for one’s self.
“They answered the call to save the world from two of the most powerful and ruthless military machines ever assembled. They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. They succeeded on every front, they won the war, they saved the world.”
Also in attendance were members of the Collier-Lee Honor Flight. Collier-Lee Honor Flight’s mission is to transport local veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring their service and sacrifice. Established on Sept. 25, 2013, the organization was created to bring the national Honor Flight program to the Collier and Lee County areas.
While Smith will not take the trip to Washington D.C., he will be part of the Honor at Home program.
Of honoring a World War II veteran, Honor Flight spokesperson and volunteer Steve Romaine said, “It’s just amazing. To see them and their spirit, and if you can get them to talk about their service — they gave us so much.”
Romaine presented Smith with his Honor Flight shirt and hat, which he will wear during his experience in April.
The Honor at Home program was created by Collier-Lee Honor Flight in 2018. It is designed for veterans who are unable to travel or have difficulties managing the physical activities of the all-day flight to Washington, D.C. The evening includes videos of the trip to Washington, D.C., a meal, patriotic songs, pinning ceremony, and a rousing welcome home. A guardian accompanies each veteran for the evening. Honor at Home is held at Fort Myers Regional Airport the same evening as the flight.
“We want to make sure our veterans experience this,” said Romaine, a retired Navy lieutenant. “Veterans tell us they think about their experience every day.”
Smith is certainly looking forward to his Honor at Home experience, where he will take a trip back in time joined by other service members, see photos from when he and others served, and recount his acts that shaped America.
For more information on the Collier-Lee Honor Flight, visit collierhonorflight.org.