The Saltillo Sun

Saltillo vet recounts Vietnam experience

Jerry Smith, recognized for heroism, finds part of it hard to talk about
By Kayla Carpenter
EDITOR

11

Jerry Smith flips through the pages of a ragged photo album, telling the stories of each photograph as his bright blue eyes catch a glimpse of his past. But this album is not filled with childhood family and friends. This album holds the memories of Smith's service in the Vietnam War and the story of a hero. Smith has lived in Saltillo his whole life. However, in 1969 he made his move from a small town to a whole other world when he was drafted. "I was 20 years old working in a grocery store when I was drafted," he said. "Back then the rumor was, if you worked you got drafted but if you went to college and got married you wouldn't be drafted. That was a lie." Smith attended basic training at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. His brother Danny, who was 13 months younger than him, was also sent there for basic training. Smith's older

brothers, Billy and Tommy, were in the National Guard. After Fort Campbell, Smith was sent to Advanced Infantry Training in Fort Polk, La. "We used to call it Ft. Puke," he said. Smith then went to Vietnam, where he served in the infantry. "I was assigned as a recon unit for an APC (armored personnel carrier)," he said. "We worked the ground in front of the tracks. Recon work means you just observe your surroundings and tried to not get into contact with the bad guys. I was on the ground for two months." Smith was then assigned to an APC. He started on the back, manning an M-60 machine gun. "We received on-the-job training there," he said. "The training started on the field. In the tanks, we had two people in the rear, a track commander and a driver, four people in all. I stayed on the APC for the remainder of my time at Nam."

The cleaners owner looks through his scrapbook of pictures and certificates he received while in service.
Smith eventually moved up to the front of the tank, and it was while he was there that he received one of his first injuries. "I was at the front of the tank when all of the sudden I felt something hot on my arm and blood started spurting out," Smith said. "I was out for about a week with that injury. I never got hurt when I was doing groundwork. When I was in the tank I was hit three times. The crazy thing is, I was out longer with malaria than with all of the injuries I received." Although the humble Smith does not like to talk about it, Smith received a Purple Heart for that injury. He also endured a piece of shrapnel in his leg and busted his eardrums

BY KAYLA CARPENTER

Jerry Smith received two bronze starts and a purple heart while serving in Vietnam from 1969-1970.

BY KAYLA CARPENTER

CONTINUED

after running over a land mine in the tank. "You can see in the pictures I have how the mine blew the steel off of the tank," he said. "That is powerful if it can do that." Smith was also trained to do demolition. "I really enjoyed doing demolition," he said. "One time we found a fish dam and I was commanded to blow it up. My commander suggested that I put 40 pounds of ammunition under it, but I put 150 pounds instead. I put a 5-minute string on it to give us time to get the heck out of there. I definitely got the job done. It blew about 100 feet in the air." Although Smith said he never got into diSEE SMITH ON PAGE 18

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