John Wilson Smith

John Wilson Smith was an everyday hero who was intent on serving his family, fellow soldiers and patients in an effort to make their lives better, at whatever cost. He was a man for whom actions spoke louder than words. The qualities of being fair, just and the ability to recognize what was right were clearly driving forces that led John to a life of service to his country and to humanity. John was the strong silent type. When he said something, he meant it. If John didn’t have something good to say, he kept it to himself. If you were smart enough to listen when he did talk, John had a lot of wisdom to share.

John's parents, James Hoke and Theda Allene Smith married May 28th of 1932. John was born in the middle of the Great Depression on September 8th of 1935 in his family’s home on Starling Lane off Honey Creek near DeValls Bluff, Arkansas. In the early 1940s, Hoke moved his family to a farm north of Hazen, Arkansas where he worked repairing the large machines involved in rice farming. In 1947 Hoke got a job at Smoots General Motors Auto dealership in Fordyce, Arkansas as a mechanic and moved the family again. In 1949 the family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas to be nearer to where his father Starling “Star” Smith bought property near Benton, Arkansas in 1945. Hoke worked as a mechanic at Chitwood’s Auto dealership in town. Six months later, October 22nd of 1949, John's parents were able to acquire 74 acres next to his parent’s property. They lived in a log cabin on the property for a year while they were building a home closer to the main road. The foundation, steps and fireplace of the log cabin are still standing near Gobbler's Knob pond. He changed jobs to be closer to home working at Red Crawford’s Buick and GMC dealership in Benton.

As John grew older, he benefited from the love and guidance from his parents and big sister, Dollene. She considered herself his second mother and called him, “My little John John.” He spent a lifetime of caring for others as he had been cared for. John realized the importance of being treated fairly, and in return, he treated everyone around him the same way. His love for family was unconditional.

John was raised with three siblings. In addition to his older sister Dollene, John had two older twin brothers, James and Joseph that passed away shortly after birth and two younger brothers Howard and Hugh. John loved his family and even though his military service kept him away from home much of the time, they were always close in his heart.

During his childhood and throughout his life, family and friends viewed John as a reserved person with what most would consider an easygoing demeanor. He was a curious child with a great sense of adventure, who loved the outdoors. A natural athlete, he enjoyed basketball, diving, and baseball. He also played football for the legendary Fordyce Redbugs. In his spare time favorite activities were learning auto mechanics from his father, fishing and hunting with his .22 caliber rifle. While growing up, some of his best friends were Skeet, Joe and Raymond. Later in life, he became best friends with his sons-in-law.

He graduated from Harmony Grove High School, Haskell, Arkansas in 1953. He spent a lot of time riding around with his buddies in his notorious gray 1940 Chevrolet. One of his favorite stories was getting stopped by the police for speeding and getting knots in his stomach worried the officer would find the five sticks of illegal dynamite they used for clearing tree stumps in the trunk. He lucked out that day because about the only place the cop didn’t check was the trunk. He didn’t have the proper paperwork to possess or transport it.

Another time, because Saline County was dry, he and buddy, Forest “Skeet” Bruce, got the bright idea to make some home “brew”. When the beer finished fermenting, they bottled it and loaded the whole batch into the “turtle shell” trunk of his Chevy and headed out over the rough roads to town to get some ice to turn the trunk into their very own ice chest. When they got to the store and opened the trunk, all but one of the bottles had broken.

In the fall of 1953, he started college and was getting good grades. Friend, Raymond Arey, convinced him that they could learn auto mechanics while making money by joining the Army National Guard. Nine months later Raymond talked him into enlisting in the Navy together to see the world. When they went to the Navy recruiter’s office it was closed that day, but the Air Force recruiter next door was in and more than happy to talk to them. They both signed up for a four-year hitch going through basic and advanced training together in Texas. Then, both were stationed at Vance AFB, Enid, Oklahoma. Raymond went back home when his time was up. John wanted to go back to college and attend law school, but with one baby and one on the way his quickly growing family’s need for a steady paycheck and health benefits convinced him to re-enlist in December of 1958.

His ability to work through problems and assignments without wasting time and energy served as assets for John while he was in high school, the military and through his college years. He took many courses while in the military including becoming trained as a military physician assistant in order to serve as the sole medical provider at a remote outpost in the Aleutian Islands. As fate would have it, his orders were changed to Luke AFB, Arizona. Always moving forward through adversity, when he found out that the State of Arizona had not yet legally recognized the P.A. medical designation, he went on in 1979 to earn an AA degree in General Studies and a second AA degree in Nursing in 1980. His favorite courses were photography, history, science and biology. His favorite professor was his professor of sociology. He never lost interest in learning something new and keeping up with current events. He enjoyed crossword puzzles to keep himself mentally sharp and was able to complete the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper in one sitting.

Marilyn first laid eyes on John in August of 1956. He was standing by a concrete picnic table at the Great Salt Plains Lake drinking a beer along with a bunch of his Air Force buddies. He stood out like a handsome male peacock being the only one in a white uniform. She found out his name from a friend, Rosalee Corbet. About a month later she was sitting in Rosalee’s car parked out in front of the Unique Confectionary, a local hangout on Route 64 in Jet, Oklahoma. He suddenly came out of the front door in a green corduroy shirt. As he walked by, she called out, “What’s wrong John Smith? Don’t you like me?” He came over and talked to her a little bit, being a man of few words. His friends walked out the front door and he left with them. Two weeks later he showed up at the Collins’ farmhouse to get to know her better. He went to the front door, the one that no one ever used, so it was a double surprise. They made plans to visit again the following weekend. He came to see her with Air Force friend Jack Miller in Pond Creek, Oklahoma where she was working and living. They sat on the front porch talking and, in an attempt, to seem sophisticated John told her he was from Mississippi, like cats and semi-classical music, which was semi-true.

Soon afterwards Marilyn moved to Alva about 60 miles away from John. In October he made the drive over and asked her if she would like to go on a date to a drive-in movie and bought her a coke. The next date he brought a diamond ring with him and proposed marriage. The coke and the ring were the only two things he gave her before they married after six weeks of dating.

On November 30th of 1956 John exchanged wedding vows with Marilyn June Collins at the First Methodist Church of Jet, Oklahoma. The reception was at the farmhouse. Jack Miller was the Best Man and Carole Brown was the Maid of Honor. He was a great listener who enjoyed the couple’s “together” time, especially when it came to celebrating special occasions. They remained married for the rest of his life, sixty-three years. John liked to say one of those years was a good one, but he couldn’t remember which one that was.

Having raised his family in the military, they became a close and loyal group. John liked nothing better than to spend his free time with them, especially outdoors. As the family grew, John was easily able to adapt to the changes and challenges of parenthood, grandparenthood and great grandparenthood. John was blessed with three children, Michelle, Melissa and Sonya. He was also blessed with six grandchildren, Kyle, Kara, Sterling, Erika, Kelsey, Alexa and great grandchild Kylee. John always put family first. He worked the night shift as a Registered Nurse, so he could take care of his prematurely born twin grandchildren, Kyle and Kara, during the day. He continued his generous caregiving by taking care of Erika and Alexa as infants. Finally, he also took in his great grandchild, Kylee, almost from birth and raised her. He was truly a shining example of what it means to be an honorable man.

His primary occupation was serving in the United States Air Force for twenty-three years. John was not the kind of person to boast. He kept to himself the fact that he received many military awards and medals, including the Air Medal for an act of valor in Vietnam. He joined the Army National Guard February 12th of 1954 at the age of 18 during the Korean War. He joined the Air Force on December 14th of 1954 at 19 years old. Based on the Air Force intelligence and aptitude tests, he scored in the 90th percentile, he was assigned to the medical group. He always worked under Tactical Air Command (TAC). TAC forces focus on air strikes with fighter jets. After basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas he was upgraded to Airman 3rd Class and sent to Medical Specialist school at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. In July of 1955 he was upgraded to Airman 2nd Class and assigned to his first duty station at Vance Air Force Base, Enid, Oklahoma working in the base hospital emergency room and out-patient clinic. In June of 1956 he was given temporary duty at Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field, Jet, Oklahoma. Vance AFB was a pilot training base and they practiced “touch and goes” at Kegelman. John was there in case there was a plane crash. In September he was upgraded to Airman 1st class and sent back to Vance AFB.

In December of 1960 he was reassigned to the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing Hospital Medical Squadron, Hahn AFB, Kirchberg, Germany. He was Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) of the Ambulance Section for the base hospital. He also was in charge of deploying a field hospital at a moment’s notice in the event of a crisis or war and providing humanitarian aid for the German villages in the Palatinate area.

On October 1st of 1963 he made the rank of Staff Sergeant, was upgraded to an Aero Medical Evacuation Technician and transferred to Pope AFB, North Carolina as part of the 21st Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES). Med Evac is higher risk, higher pay and voluntary. In March of that year he was sent to provide medical rescue during the Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964. The megathrust fault ruptured across 600 miles of South-Central Alaska with a magnitude of 9.2. The second most powerful earthquake in world history had a death toll of 131 people. During this time, he became NCOIC of the Tactical Medical Air Evacuation Team for the 21st.

After he received special forces security clearance April 28th of 1964 from Washington D.C., he became part of a Special Operations Group consisting of multiple branch forces known as the Organization of American States (OAS). He took specialized training for Desert Survival in Blythe, California, Deep Sea Survival in the ocean off Langley AFB, Virginia, and Tropical Survival in the jungle out of Albrook AFB, Panama Canal Zone. He said, “They stuck you out there with only a pack of matches, a knife and a tarp.” He earned a Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon that same year. He saw additional hazardous duty as part of Operation Power Pack in the Dominican Republic Crisis of 1965. The operation under the OAS was headed by the Army 82nd Airborne Division out of the co-located Army base at Fort Bragg. The Dominican Republic was in a civil war. US President Lyndon Johnson ordered an intervention aimed at preventing the development of Cuban involvement. The 21st Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES) with John as NCOIC, was assigned to the 1st Aeromedical Evacuation Group, that was assigned to the 464th Troop Carrier Wing. The 464th CSGP was awarded the outstanding unit award for counter strike global offensive. John received awards from the Special Operations Group and the Dominican Republic Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

He attended the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama for Senior Medical Technician training prior to being sent to Vietnam in May of 1966 as part of the 21st Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES). He willingly flew 110 combat missions in the Vietnam War at the risk of losing the life he loved as a husband and father. He courageously fought for a forlorn cause, under grim circumstances for the life and liberty of other peoples in other lands. Facing mounting casualties, the 21st AES out of Pope AFB, NC and the 22nd AES, out of Sewart AFB, Tennessee were combined to form the 903rd Aeromedical Evacuation Flight (AEF). The first and only one of its kind, their role was to assist the Army and Marines by administering medical care and evacuating combat casualties directly from the battlefield to in-country medical facilities.

The 903rd AEF initially operated out of Tan Son Nhut AB. They laid the ground work for how aeromedical operations are run today. The 903rd AEF was assigned to areas of some of the most vicious fighting in the Vietnam war. During 1966 and 1967 they supported the Marines in the “so called” demilitarized zone at Khe San, Dong Ha and when required, unofficially Cambodia; and the Army at Duc Pho and Dak To. The demilitarized zone was the name of the border between North and South Vietnam established in 1954. During the Vietnam War it became 47 miles of battle zone. The rough, rocky terrain and dense vegetation on the front lines made transporting the wounded and sick via ground transportation a lengthy process. In order to save lives, it became clear that medical intervention needed to be closer to the battlefields. To meet this need, a Casualty Staging Facility (CSF), was built on Phu Cat AFB, north of Qui Nhon for the 903rd AEF in December of 1966. A CSF was housed in large tents with a capacity for over 100 patients. In May of 1967 the renamed 903rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES) working 20-hour days moved a record 8,306 patients. A single combat mission could have as many as 10 stops with flight plans subject to change at any given moment. Due to its close proximity to the demilitarized zone, the Phu Cat AFB was specifically targeted and pummeled by the North Vietnamese and their ally the Viet Cong, South Vietnamese guerilla fighters. This forced the base to be shut down in November of 1971.

The squadron used C-130’s, C-7A’s, C-123’s and various helicopters. At that time, they did not have designated, specially equipped aircraft like today. Medical evacuation was not considered a priority by the Commanders. They were assigned available aircraft at the last minute and had to carry all of their equipment with them. The C-130 was less desirable for combat, so that was the plane they most often had to use. Helicopters were used to transport the injured and sick from the point of injury in the battlefield. Minimal equipment was available on board: a bag resuscitator mask, a tracheal suction foot operated pump, assorted medical bandages and supplies. The wounded would be brought to one of four twenty-five-bed forward field combat medical facilities for emergency treatment of battle injuries. If they survived, the more seriously injured patients would be stabilized and brought to the larger CSF at Phu Cat AFB, for treatment or evacuation by fixed wing aircraft. If they still survived, they would then be transported in C-130’s to the CSF at Tan Son Nhut AB near Saigon. Tan Son Nhut AB was also subject to attacks by the Viet Cong, so most patients requiring surgery beyond the level of a CSF did not stay at Tan Son Nhut more than 24 hours. If the wounded soldiers were able to hang on, there was a network of locations under the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) available. For the 903rd AES, most commonly Clark AFB in the Philippines, but Tachikawa AFB, Japan, U-Tapao AFB, Thailand, and Hickam AFB, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were options. The most seriously wounded were eventually taken to the United States a feat that could be accomplished in as little as 18 hours.

Being so close to the border, medical crews were almost constantly exposed to intense enemy ground fire and their duties brought them into continuous contact with front line operations. Planes and helicopters with a red cross, designating them as medical, were considered high value targets by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. John didn’t like to talk about his wartime experiences. He saw a lot of horrific injuries and witnessed the dying process of many good young men that no one would want to dredge up from memory. Still, we knew by his nightmares that he never forgot what he had seen or how it felt to be under a barrage of enemy weapons. The 903rd AES was awarded the Air Force Presidential Citation, the Marine Corp Presidential Citation, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Citation.

John's exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange in Vietnam undoubtedly contributed to his death, but he did not hate the Air Force or the United States government. It took the government 46 years before they acknowledged he had been harmed and gave him a small amount of disability pay that was not retroactive. No big settlements when you work for Uncle Sam. He said that the defoliation of the jungle was necessary because "Our guys were getting slaughtered." (by the enemy combatants hiding behind the dense growth).

In June of 1967 he returned to the 21st AES at Pope AFB, NC and was promoted to NCOIC of Medical Air Evacuation. The system of CSF’s developed in Vietnam was saving lives, but it was taking too much time to train personnel after they arrived. It was his mission to train and prepare the next group of medics heading to Vietnam with the necessary battlefield injury techniques and self-confidence so that they could be immediately useful to operations. He constructed a mock battlefield casualty staging facility they used for training. Inside the large tent were rows and rows of mannequin soldiers with different injuries, complete with bloody bandages and I.V. setups.

In August of 1969 he was sent back overseas, assigned to Rhine Main, AFB, Frankfurt am Main, Germany with the 2nd Aeromedical Evacuation Group still as NCOIC of Med Evac. On August 1st of 1970 he was promoted to Technical Sergeant and volunteered to move as part of the 2nd Aero Medical Evac Group to Athenia AFB, Athens, Greece as the NCOIC of Med Evac there. He loved Greece having been there many times as Rhein-Main AFB, Athenia AFB, and Incirlik AFB, Turkey were all hubs that covered Europe and the Middle East. As NCOIC his duties at both bases included training and supervising personnel, flying missions, and scheduling the emergency flights.

On December 14 of 1971 he was reassigned to the 313th Tactical Airlift Wing at Forbes AFB, Topeka, Kansas and became NCOIC of the Emergency Room at the Base Hospital. Closure of the base by President Nixon sent him to Physician Assistant training in 1973 at Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, Texas for a new duty assignment, Eareckson Air Station, Alaskan Aleutian Islands. He scored the 5th highest grades in a large class of military personnel. At the last minute to his relief, he was sent to Luke AFB, Glendale, Arizona to work under the 56th Medical Operations Squadron as NCOIC of the Emergency Department at Luke Air Force Base Hospital. Through his hard work and dedication, on July 1st of 1974 he achieved the rank of Master Sergeant and became NCOIC of the Surgical Ward.

After John retired from military service on May 31st of 1976, he worked as a Registered Nurse at the Phoenix Veterans Hospital for an additional fifteen years. He loved hearing the stories of the elderly veterans, often bringing them newspapers or donuts he purchased himself. John even helped to get a shot of whiskey added to their prescription orders at night if needed to calm them. A lifetime of being in service to others gave true meaning to his actions speak louder than words philosophy.

His heroism was not limited to the battlefield. While stationed at Kegelman Auxiliary Field in 1956, on a night out, a marine and local boy, Jimmie Caywood, took a gunshot to the stomach. Lacking an ambulance, he drove Jimmie in a civilian car at top speed, 45 miles toward the Vance AFB Emergency Room. As they were approaching Enid they were stopped by the local police and John was taken into custody for reckless and felonious speed. The police suspected they had committed a criminal act and had been injured in the process. They called an ambulance for Jimmie and gave John the grilling of his life. He was later released after the police were able to confirm he was acting in the line of duty. Eventually Jimmie recovered from his injury and returned to duty.

His war time training and experience came in handy when he saved the life of Jet teenager, Lee Hopkins, who was shot in the chest in a hunting accident near the Jet farm in 1967. The friends who were with him ran to the nearest farmhouse and lucky for Lee, it was the Collins farm and John was visiting. He rushed to the scene and was able to control the bleeding. The Hopkins family never stopped being sincerely grateful to John for saving Lee’s life.

He also saved the life of his father-in-law Ralph Collins and friend Eugene Tucker in 1968. They were building one of two 20’ X 20’ circular aluminum wheat grain bins and were finishing up the top section out in the wheat field. Ralph and Eugene were on the inside using impact wrenches to tighten the large bolts. John was handing them tools through the opening in the middle of the roof. Ralph’s wrench became overheated and exploded, which quickly ignited the wheat stubble and the clothing the men inside were wearing. John was unable to get to them through the roof because of the blazing flames shooting through the hole, so he climbed down and lifted the extremely hot and heavy metal top up with his bare hands getting burned in the process. He was able to pull Ralph out first and did not hesitate to lift the top up a second time to pull Eugene out. He immediately put them in “Big Red”, Ralph’s 1966 Chevy Pickup and drove at reckless and felonious speed to the nearest medical facility in Cherokee, Oklahoma. Both men sustained third degree burns all over their bodies and were hospitalized for weeks. Ralph had especially severe damage to his hands from the superheated wrench. Throughout his life, if John came upon an accident scene in which no first responders had arrived, he always stopped and rendered aid in whatever way he could.

One of his favorite pursuits was the complete restoration of "Ol Stella" a 1936 Chevy pickup. John's “baby” was a Swift Red and black Chevrolet pickup truck. He bought her in 1964 from Rupert Jenlink, a man born on July 9th of 1902, in Jet Oklahoma. The original owner and namesake was Estella J. Whetzal who was born on December 11th of 1895, who also lived in Jet. He bought her in 1964 and drove her to North Carolina to use as a second car. In 1966 he drove Ol' Stella back to the Arkansas homestead to get some help working to restore her from the family. His cat, Snowball, sat on his shoulder the whole way. He stored “Ol Stella” in the barn there until 1986 when he brought her to Phoenix. John spent many additional years restoring her to mint condition. He learned auto repair from his father, a professional auto and diesel mechanic. He also liked antique clocks, photography, hunting, fishing, boating and camping. John was willing to share his interests with others, but was content to enjoy his hobbies alone.

John had the ability to stay calm and the determination to do what was necessary to “Get ‘Er Done,” traits that were vital to his career but also helped him excel at sports. He particularly enjoyed being on an Air Force fastpitch softball team as their pitcher. John was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. At the top of his list were baseball, football, and NASCAR.

John was an asset to any organization he joined. Throughout his later years, John was an active member of the JJ Ranch HOA board of Directors.

Faith and family values were important to John. He held dear his belief in love, humility, righteousness and hope. He was born a Baptist, but attended the United Methodist Church, which was his wife's faith. He served for many years as a church usher.

John embraced the opportunity to discover the history and culture of different locales his constant moving in the military provided him. He was always exploring with his family when he got the chance, touring historical sites, museums and attending local events. Favorite vacations included New Orleans, the Greek Islands, Hawaii and Disneyland.

John was a big-hearted lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of John’s favorites was Tuxcito, a Chihuahua. They were best friends for 13 years. He cooked him a hamburger every night and Tuxcito would not eat it until it was sprinkled with cheddar cheese. His family was rounded out by his many dogs including Jim, Boy, Michie, Thor, Cinnamon, Bridget, Julie, Bandit and Ginger. His cats were Thomas T. Tapper, Snowball, Boo and Panther.

When he retired from active duty in the Air Force he considered going into farming in Jet, Oklahoma. He also thought about moving back to Arkansas, something he always wanted to do, but better financial opportunities seemed to be in Phoenix, so they stayed.

In early October of 1998, John collapsed in the early morning hours. His condition progressed quickly to left side paralysis and slurred, unintelligible speech. The emergency room doctor at John C. Lincoln hospital at first thought he had suffered a stroke, then concluded after imaging studies that he had a cancerous brain tumor. The family arranged for his transfer to the specialists at Barro’s Neurological Institute, where they performed an emergency craniotomy for a life threatening ruptured cerebral arteriovenous malformation. He underwent a second craniotomy four weeks later for subsequent bleeding and infection. The neurosurgeons considered his recovery remarkable because he had no lasting deficits in mental or physical function. They said that had he been operated on at John C. Lincoln hospital for a tumor, he probably would have bled to death because they would not have understood where all the blood was coming from. The doctors thought that his exposure to Agent Orange was a contributing factor to the artery and vein fusion that had occurred in his brain.

The surgery was the catalyst that made him decide to retire from the Veterans Administration Hospital on April 1st of 1999. He again made the decision to stay in Arizona since the family had put down roots by then. In retirement, he was able to spend more time finishing restoration on "Ol Stella” and have more quality time with family.

Those who didn’t know John well, might have thought him to be quiet, but family and friends who were close to him knew that he was able to find humor in almost any situation. He was quick witted and often had a joke and a smile to share, a quality he kept even in his last months of deteriorating health.

His time on earth came to an end at eighty-three years of age, on November 18 of 2018 at 12:26 PM in Glendale, Arizona. He had fought bravely over the years against the many ailments including cancer brought on by his exposure to Agent Orange. No one who was with him in those last days could deny that he went out fighting. He always said that you choose your time to go having seen it often enough. Weakened by chemotherapy he caught pneumonia at Cobalt Rehabilitation Hospital and while in the Banner Thunderbird Medical Center operating room to clear his airway, he decided it was time to be with his parents in heaven.

Left to mourn this extraordinary man are his beloved wife, Marilyn; daughters, Michelle (Bill) Navarro, Melissa Stopkey, Sonya (Bodie) Graves; siblings, Dollene Smith, Sterling “Howard” (Nancy) Smith, Hugh Smith; grandchildren, Kyle Burkhart, Kara Burkhart, Sterling Stopkey, Kelsey Stopkey, Erika Graves, Alexa Graves; great grandchild, Kylee Burkhart, and many Nieces and Nephews. All to whom his loss is immeasurable, and who will forever be thankful for his steady, comforting presence; his wise guidance; his endless support; his teaching by example; his engaging smile.

John Wilson Smith was defined by his love for family. The experiences he treasured most were those he shared with his loved ones. Even though the effects of Agent Orange and years of lifting patients gave him pain that never left him, he bore it with stoic silence. He could not be broken. He spoke quietly because he was strong. He did not brag because he didn't need to. He will always be remembered for the strength of his character, patriotism and resilience.

Lakeside services with military honors were held at Sunland Memorial Park and Mortuary. John's ashes will be scattered across the Arkansas and Oklahoma properties.