Paul F. Smith

Paul F. Smith
Paul F. Smith
Born	November 15, 1915; Taunton, Massachusetts
Died	October 20, 2014 (aged 98); Viera, Florida
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1935–1968
Rank	Major General
Commands	173rd Airborne Brigade; 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 504th Infantry Regiment; United States Army Airborne School
Battles / wars	World War II; Korean War; Vietnam War
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross; Army Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star (2); Legion of Merit (3); Bronze Star Medal (3); Purple Heart (5)

Paul F. Smith (November 15, 1915 – October 20, 2014) was a United States Army major general who served as commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade during the Vietnam War.

Early life and education

Smith was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, on November 15, 1915. He was educated at Taunton High School.^[1]

Military service

Smith enrolled in the United States Army Reserve in 1935. He served with the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, jumping into Normandy on D-Day. He served at the Battle of the Bulge and made a further combat jump during Operation Varsity.

From 1945 to 1948 Smith served as commanding officer of the United States Army Airborne School at Fort Benning. From 1948 to 1950 he served as G3 Eighth United States Army in Japan.

With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, Smith served with Eighth Army (forward) at Daegu, Korea until 1951 and was awarded the Legion of Merit. He then returned to Japan joining Headquarters Far East Command.

From 1952 to 1956 Smith served at The Pentagon as Operations Officer and then as Military Assistant Secretary of the Army. In 1957 he graduated from the United States Army War College. From 1957 to 1960 he served as commander of the 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 504th Infantry Regiment in West Germany.

From 1960 to 1964 Smith served as assistant commander/G2 and deputy commander/Operations & Plans XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg. He was promoted to brigadier general in June 1964 and served as army adviser to Military Assistance Advisory Group, Taiwan.

In July 1965 Smith was assigned to South Vietnam where he served as Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff Task Force Alpha, later redesignated I Field Force, Vietnam, Nha Trang. He was appointed Commanding General, 173rd Airborne Brigade in February 1966.^[2]^[3] In November 1966 he was promoted to major general and in December 1966 he handed over command of the 173rd Airborne and then served as Deputy for Revolutionary Development to Robert Komer in Saigon.

On his return from South Vietnam in June 1967, Smith served as Chairman Special Study Group Joint Chiefs of Staff until his retirement.

Later life

Smith retired from the army on 11 August 1968 and then worked as Executive Director of the Central Florida Development Committee until 1974.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

^ Taunton High School Journal. Internet Archive: The Senior Class of Taunton High School, 1932. 1932. p. 62. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
^ Carland, John (2000). Combat Operations Stemming the Tide May 1965 to October 1966. Army Center of Military History. pp. 181–3. ISBN 9781782663430.
^ McGibbon, Ian (2010). New Zealand's Vietnam War: A History of Combat, Commitment and Controversy. Exisle. p. 222. ISBN 978-0908988969.

[1] Taunton High School Journal. Internet Archive: The Senior Class of Taunton High School, 1932. 1932. p. 62. Retrieved 30 July 2022.

[2] Carland, John (2000). Combat Operations Stemming the Tide May 1965 to October 1966. Army Center of Military History. pp. 181–3. ISBN 9781782663430.

[3] McGibbon, Ian (2010). New Zealand's Vietnam War: A History of Combat, Commitment and Controversy. Exisle. p. 222. ISBN 978-0908988969.

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