Category Archives: ABOUT
Everett (Smitty) Smith
young Everett and Mother, Anna
Everett Smith was born Dec. 12, 1914 and grew up with the gentle waves of Jamaica Bay on an island one mile long and barely four blocks wide. This was the tight-knit community of Broad Channel, New York. He resided with his mother, Anna at peaceful 207 East 9th Road and spent his days between school, working and helping to care for his grandmother.
Aerial view of Broad Channel
Smitty’s, Broad Channel, NY
Everett’s nickname had always been “Smitty” and so, the name of his fishing station came to be. In 1939, at 24 years of age, he married a woman named Catherine and she joined the Smith household.
News of Hitler and his rise to power filtered into the newspapers and radio, but Anna still had the memories of WWI and their financial struggles in what would be become known as the Great Depression made the problems of Europe so far away.
Grassy Point, Broad Channel, where Smitty often tended bar.
The majority of the U.S. population held the ideal of isolationism in high regard and the Smith household agreed wholeheartedly. Everett was baffled by FDR’s election as his past political and personal records indicated both amoral and often criminal behavior. The president began to stretch his powers to the limit to assist his friend, Winston Churchill, while U.S. citizens were straining to survive.
On Oct. 30, 1940, Roosevelt spouted in Boston, “I give you one more assurance. I have said it before, but I shall say it again and again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent to any foreign wars.” My father did not believe FDR then and as we look back — he was right.
Draft card
You’re in the Army now!
Everett received his draft notice in Sept. 1942. He would be sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey where he volunteered for the paratroopers. He would immediately then be sent to Camp MacKall, North Carolina for the start of his vigorous training. Smitty became part of one of the most unique army units of its day, the HQ Co./187th/ 11th Airborne Division.
Smitty, 187th RCT/11th Airborne Division, Camp MacKall 1943
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Chris Andreadakis – Youngstown, OH; US Army, WWII, ETO
Paul Brown (100) – Saginaw, MI; US navy, WWII
Arlington Cemetery
Thomas ‘Millar’ Bryce (101) – Saskatchewan, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII, navigator
Robert “Cookie” Cook (100) – Rochester, NY; US Army, WWII
Aaron M. Fish – USA; US Navy, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, Petty Officer 3rd Class
Dick Hall (100) – Murray, NE; US Army, WWII, ETO, 94th Chemical Mortars/3rd Army Tank Battalion, Lt.
E. Allan Logel (100) – Mapelwood, NJ; US Army, WWII, PTO, Captain, Strategic planning
Donald Myers – Cambria, IA; US Navy, WWII, PTO & Korea
Ken P. Smith – USA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 2/187/11th Airborne Division
Martha Watts – Charleston, NC; US Army WAC, WWII
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Pacific Paratrooper reboot…..
Smitty reclining in front, on the far right, with the HQ Company/187th Regiment/11th Airborne
Pacific Paratrooper will now only publish one post per week.
I first started this website to honor my father and his HQ Co./187th/11th Airborne Division and that is what we intend on doing once again. Smitty never said, “I did this” or “I did that,” it was always – “The 11th did IT!”
From the beginning, Everett A. Smith (AKA: Smitty), will be re-introduced, his entrance into WWII, the letters he wrote home and the world that surrounded them at the time.
The Farewell Salutes will continue, as will the Military Humor columns. If there is someone you wish to honor in the Salutes, don’t hesitate to give me similar information as you see for others.
1943 11th Airborne yearbook
As a member of the 11th Airborne Association (Member # 4511) myself, I am privy to their newsletter, “The Voice of the Angels,” and I will be using quotes and stories from that publication. Matt Underwood, Editor Emeritus, JoAnn, Editor, and the officers of the Association have been of great assistance to me and I thank them very much for their help.
This website is ever changing and being updated, because further knowledge is always being learned. Smitty told me and many others, “I try to learn something every day. When I stop, Please, close the lid.” I have never forgotten that motto to live by and I sincerely hope you all do the same.
Please, DO continue to share what stories you know and/or a link to data you’ve uncovered and put them in the comments. I am afraid no emails will be opened. If you are not a blogger, you can Follow by clicking the Follow button in the top right-hand corner of each post.
11th A/B shoulder patch
I thank you all for your contributions in the past and hope you will continue to do so. If you are new to this site – WELCOME!! We have a wonderful group of people participating here – join them.
Please remember that these countries, in the following posts, were in a horrendous war and NOTHING written or quoted here is with the intent to disparage any people or nations. And, I have tried to limit the amount of gory details without shading the facts. I hope I succeed.
As always – Click on images to enlarge them.
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Military Humor –
Some definitions you may want to keep in mind:
ARMY – a body of men assembled to rectify the mistakes of the diplomats
Critical Terrain: Terrain that if not secured, grabbed, taken or camped out on — you are screwed.
DRAFT BOARD – the world’s largest travel agency
MILITARY EXPERT – one who tells you what will happen next week – and then explains why it didn’t
NEW GUINEA SALUTE – waving the hand over the mess kit to ward off the flies
PACIFIST – a person who fights with everybody BUT the enemy
Pound The Crap Out Of: Somewhere between disrupt and destroy and slightly more than neutralize.
Technique: A noun, used in the phrase: “That’s one technique.” Translated – That’s a really screwed up way to execute this operation and you will probably kill your entire unit. But if you want to do it that way – go ahead.”
WAR – a time that starts off paying old scores and ends up by paying new debts
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Farewell Salutes –
Robert Arens – Lansing, MI; US Army, WWII, ETO, Purple Heart
Charles “Stu” Bachmann – Bertrand, NE; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, SSgt., B-17 tailgunner
Rosewarne Memorial, courtesy of Destinations Journey
Alvin Cawthon – Tucumcari, NM; US Army, WWII / National Guard (Ret. 42 y.)
Elbert Edwards – Southaven, MS; US Army, WWII, 1st Lt.
Juan Gutierrez – USA; US Army, WWII, PTO, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, Bataan March, POW, KIA (Luzon, P.I.)
Eddie Hrivnak – Lakewood, OH; US Navy, WWII, PTO, frogman
David Mottoli – Lawrence, MA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, 25th Fighter Squadron / Grumman (Ret.)
Don Newman – South Bend, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, B-17 pilot instructor
George Samson – McGee’s Mills, PA; US Coast Guard, WWII
John Toppi Sr. – Providence, RI; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Warwick
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WWII poster
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OPEN LETTER TO: ALL
Courtesy of “The Voice of the Angels.”
As we venture back to the past for the Pacific War, there will continue to be eye-witness stories, the Farewell Salutes, occasionally a homeland episode and military humor. I may not supply all the resources for my posts, since as many as 5 or 6 may be used to verify the information of any given post. My bibliography has grown to 6 pages long and has not even been updated lately; also my own library has grown considerably since I first chronicled the war.
I will be re-blogging some of my own posts from the Archives – updated since they were first published. This entire site is dedicated to my father, Everett A. Smith, aka “Smitty”, who served in the Headquarters Company/187th Regiment/11th Airborne Division in the Pacific during WWII and the 11th A/B as a whole; therefore it is only right that I do so. Smitty never said, “I did this” or “I did that,” it was always – “The 11th did IT!”
Everett “Smitty” Smith at Camp MacKall, N.C.
As a member of the 11th Airborne Association (Member # 4511) myself, I am privy to their newsletter, “The Voice of the Angels,” edited by Matt & Kara Underwood, and I will be using quotes and stories from that publication. Mr. Underwood and the officers of the Association have been of great assistance to me and I thank them very much for their help.
This website is ever changing and being updated, because further knowledge is always being learned. Smitty told me and many others, “I try to learn something everyday. When I stop, Please, close the lid.” I have never forgotten that motto to live by and I sincerely hope you all do the same.
Please, DO continue to share what stories you know and/or a link to data you’ve uncovered and put them in the comments. I am afraid no emails will be opened. If you are not a blogger, you can Follow by clicking the Follow button in the top right-hand corner of each post.
I thank you all for your contributions in the past and hope you will continue to do so. If you are new to this site – WELCOME!! We have a wonderful group of people participating here – join them. Reminder – we have the volunteers and veterans of the Little Rock, AR area watching us too – help show your support of our veterans .
Please remember that these countries, in the following posts, were in a horrendous war and NOTHING written or quoted here is with the intent to disparage any people or nations. And, I have tried to limit the amount of gory details without shading the facts. I hope I succeed.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
Some definitions you may want to keep in mind:
ARMY – a body of men assembled to rectify the mistakes of the diplomats DRAFT BOARD – the world’s largest travel agency MILITARY EXPERT – one who tells you what will happen next week – and then explains why it didn’t NEW GUINEA SALUTE – waving the hand over the mess kit to ward off the flies PACIFIST – a person who fights with everybody BUT the enemy WAR – a time that starts off paying old scores and ends up by paying new debts ################################################################################################################Farewell Salutes –
Brian Ashton – TePuke, NZ; NZ Reg. # 386718, Platoon B, Malaya
George Barton – Joliet, IL; US Air Force, WWII
Richard Crawford – Seattle, WA; US Navy (RET.), submarine service, Vietnam
Arthur Kitts – Singer Island, FL; US Army, WWII, antiaircraft battery
Hung O. Lee – College Point, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, 511th/11th A/B Div., PTO
Carmen Edward Mercandante -Amsterdam, NY; US Army, WWII, ETO
Reinhold “Hank” Nagel – Sun Lakes, AZ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, HQ Company/187th Reg./11th Airborne Div., PTO
Johnny Powell – Cartwright, OK; US Navy, WWII & US Air Force, Korea (Ret. 23 years)
Franklin Trapnell Jr. – Richmond, VA; US Army, Colonel (Ret. 34 years), 2 tours Vietnam
Thomas Weatherall – Toronto, Can; British Army, WWII
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A rough background …
Pvt. Everett “Smitty” Smith, Camp MacKall, NC
RE-POSTED IN HONOR OF SMITTY’S 100TH BIRTHDAY
Everett Smith was born Dec. 12, 1914 and grew up across from the gentle waves of Jamaica Bay on an island one mile long and barely four blocks wide. This was the tight-knit community of Broad Channel, New York. He resided with his mother
young Everett and Mother, Anna
Anna on peaceful East 9th Road and spent his days between school, working and helping to care for his grandmother. Everett’s nickname had always been “Smitty” and so, the name of his fishing station came to be. In 1939, at 24 years of age, he married a woman named Catherine and she joined the Smith household.
boats on Jamaica Bay from Smitty’s Boat Station
News of Hitler and his rise to power filtered into the newspapers and radio, but the Smith’s still had the memories of WWI and their financial struggles in what would be become known as the Great Depression. The majority of the U.S. population held the ideal of isolationism in high regard and the Smith household agreed wholeheartedly. Everett was baffled by FDR’s election as his past political and personal records indicated both amoral and often criminal behavior. The president began to stretch his powers to the limit to assist his friend, Winston Churchill, but U.S. citizens were straining to survive.
On Oct. 30, 1940, Roosevelt spouted in Boston, “I give you one more assurance. I have said it before, but I shall say it again and again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent to any foreign wars.” My father did not believe FDR then and as we look back — he was right.
Grassy Point, Broad Channel – where Smitty would often tend bar
Everett received his draft notice in Sept. 1942. He would be sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey where he volunteered for the paratroopers. He would immediately then be sent to Camp MacKall, North Carolina for the start of his vigorous training. Smitty became part of one of the most unique army units of its day, the 11th Airborne Division, Headquarters Company, 187th regiment.
You’re in the Army now!
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Farewell Salutes –
Paul Cross – Virginia Bch, VA; USAAC, WWII, 152nd Artillery, 11th A/B
Gerald Dickey – Richfield, MN; USAAC, WWII Company A, 187th/11th A/B
Raymond Durr – Abbeville, LA; USAAC, WWII, Company E/187th/11th A/B
John Kozeletz – Coral Springs, FL; USAAC, WWII, Company B/187th/11th A/B
Howard Schleimer – Cleveland, OH; USAAC, WWII, 457th Artillery/11th A/B
Everett Smith – Broad Channel, NY/Hallandale, FL; USAAC, WWII, HQ Co/187th/11th A/B
Kenneth Staples – Stroudesburg, PA; USAAC, WWII, Company F/187th/11th A/B
Robert Teske – Fort Myers, FL; USAAC, WWII, 187th/11th A/B
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One of our fellow bloggers, Prior – that can be viewed HERE!! – was kind enough to put this together for Smitty____
Please click on to enlarge.
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Pacific Paratrooper 