Kenneth B. Smith

Col. (Ret. Kenneth Bates
Smith
June 8, 1921-
October 4, 2011
Columbus, Georgia- Col. (ret) Kenneth B. Smith, 90, of Columbus, GA, passed away on Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at Spring Harbor in Columbus, GA.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 on Monday, October 10, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1130 First Avenue, Columbus, GA, with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall according to Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 4071 Macon Road, Columbus, GA 31907. Rev. Gregory D. Wilde will officiate. A graveside service with military honors will be held at a later date at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY.
Col. Smith was born in Boston, MA on June 8, 1921, the elder son of the late Preston W. Smith and Carol Bates Smith. He spent his childhood primarily in New England and the Midwest, later studying at Harvard University (1938-40) prior to entering The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating with the Class of June 1943.
Col. Smith served in the US Army Air Corp, later the Air Force, from June 1943 until his retirement in 1973, completing 30 years of faithful service. During his military career he served in World War II as a Command Bomber Pilot (1944-45). After the war, Col. Smith attended Georgetown University (1946-48), earning a masters degree in International Relations. He then went on to assignments with the Headquarters of the US Air Force (1948-51); with the US Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand (1952-54); with the 825 Air Bomber Group in Little Rock, AK (1956); and later assignments in Topeka, KS; Scott Air Force Base in Bellville, IL; at the Pentagon in Washington, DC; and in Charleston, SC.
For his military service, Col. Smith was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal, each with two clusters, presented for his feats under combat conditions while flying B-29s for the 73rd Bomb Wing in the Pacific. He also held the Distinguished Unit Award, the Distinguished Unit Citation, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
He is preceded in death by his brother, Dr. Preston Wood Smith of North Weymouth, MA, and sister, Deborah Smith Diener of New Jersey.
He is survived by his wife Nancy E. Smith of Columbus, GA; by his sister Ardis Louis Messenger of Pleasanton, CA; by the children of his first marriage, David Bigelow Smith of Winslow, AK and Constance Smith Hodo of Mt. Pleasant, SC; by 3 grandchildren, Laura Anderman , Carolyn Hodo, and Scott Hodo; and by cousins, nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Trinity Episcopal Church (1130 First Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901) or to The American Heart Association (https://donate.americanheart.org).