Biographical Note

Howard Eugene Smith (1918-1999) was a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force from the 1940s through the 1970s.

Howard E. Smith was born on January 9, 1918 in Ottumwa, Iowa to Byrne Y. and Helen R. (Barnes) Smith. He had two younger siblings and attended high school in Ottumwa where he was a champion archer and rifleman. On March 19, 1942 he enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army Air Corps as he initially wanted to be a fighter pilot. It is unclear what happened, he ultimately did not become a pilot but had a number of different responsibilities. His first assignment was at Smoky Hill Army Airfield (now known as Schilling Air Force Base) in Salina, Kansas as the Public Relations Officer, and a base photographer. He was later stationed in Cuba on a weather reporting assignment. Smith also helped design a bombing apparatus as well as completed numerous military trainings.

Post-war, he remained in the service. From 1951-1964, he was in France and Spain as a procurement contract officer. Other assignments included time in Indiana, North Dakota, and Texas. In the late 1960s, he worked for a space agency in California. Smith retired from U.S. Air Force circa 1978-1979 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Smith married Barbara Jean Warde (1923-2018) on March 10, 1942. The couple had two children. By 1950, the family lived in Seattle, Washington. Smith died in Kenmore, Washington on December 16, 1999.

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