On Dec. 14, about 150 veterans and guests enjoyed a scrumptious Christmas dinner with all the trimmings sponsored by local Ukiah American Legion Post 76 and hosted at the Ukiah Senior Center.
This annual event is free to all veterans. In addition to good food and fellowship, there was a fun gift raffle with amazing prizes donated by a host of generous local merchants.
Duane Grilli, from Legion Post 76, was this year’s Chair, and retired Marine Master Sergeant Daniel Harreschou served as Master of Ceremonies for the event.
The local area “Quilts of Valor” quilting group – represented by Carol Dygert, Judy Williams, and JoAnn Schneiter – presented 97-year-old WWII Veteran William F. Smith, and Vietnam Veteran Donald E. Smith with beautiful hand-crafted quilts recognizing them for their service and sacrifice for our country.
The dinner was prepared by Senior Center cook David Wetsell with Jessica Tominia organizing all the general set up and serving. Legion Post 76 Commander Wilson Chavez recruited seven student volunteers from “Redwood Collegiate Academy” to be servers for the event.
Quilts of Valor
Recipient: William F. Smith
William F. Smith was born in New York City in 1927. Both of his parents were performers in the entertainment business. Shortly after Bill’s birth they moved the family to California, eventually settling in San Francisco. He turned 17 years old in March of 1944 as WWII was at its peak.
In early 1945, Bill convinced his mother to sign for him to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He did his Navy Boot Camp at U.S. Naval Training Center, San Diego. His additional training was in Firefighting and Ships Service and Supply. His first assignment was to Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, where he served in the Ships Service department and lived in a very overcrowded Quonset hut barracks. While there, a cruiser carrying one of the atom bombs passed through the harbor.
Bill’s next assignment was to Midway Island Naval Station, a small parcel of land surrounded by miles of empty Pacific Ocean, where he served as a firefighter in the airstrip fire squadron.
He experienced several very exciting times fighting aircraft fires on disabled military aircraft that were making emergency landings (or semi crash landings as the case may be). In those days they wore very bulky, hot and heavy, asbestos fire suits (this was before the hazards of frayed asbestos was recognized). This assignment was marked by long periods of loneliness and boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror and exhaustion.
At the end of the war, in 1946, he returned to the States where he remained in the Naval Reserve for four more years until his discharge in 1950. Upon return from active duty in 1946, Bill got a job with the U.S. Forest Service out of Arcata up in Trinity County, where he worked as a firefighter.
In 1948 he met his wife-to-be, Billie Lee, and they were married in 1950. A year or two later he enrolled in Oregon State College, graduating with a BS degree in Forestry.
Following college, Bill worked for several lumber and logging companies in and around Trinity and Humboldt counties before moving to Ukiah to work as a forester for Crawford Lumber Company, which eventually was bought out by Georgia Pacific and then Louisiana Pacific Lumber Company. Following a heart attack in 1982, Bill retired, and he and wife Billie Lee did a lot of traveling.
Bill considers his service in WWII a patriotic duty he is proud to have been a part of.
“The Quilts of Valor Organization is honored to present William F. Smith this quilt in recognition for his service to our country.”
Left is Donald Smith, right is William Smith, with MC Marine Master Sergeant Daniel Harreschou. (Contributed)Quilts of Valor
Recipient: Donald E. Smith
Donald E. Smith was born in Chicago, Nov. 23, 1950. When he was 10 years old his family moved to Upland in Southern California. He graduated from Upland High School in 1967, and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.
Don did his basic training at Lackland Air Base, San Antonio, Texas, followed by Advanced training technical school specializing in the Hercules 130 Cargo Aircraft Maintenance and Operations, for which he eventually became a Crew Chief.
Following training, Don was assigned to the 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing, covering Indochina, Vietnam, and Korea. He served a number of assignments flying out of Park Air Force Base in the Philippines, including China, Japan, Okinawa, and Vietnam. Don served 18 months “in country” in Vietnam, flying in and out of Khe Sanh and Da Nang and other smaller air strips, including during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
They often had to fly in and out of airstrips in “Hot Zones” where they were at risk from incoming enemy fire. In addition to delivering munitions and supplies to these war zones they had the sad duty of carrying out the wounded and killed in action (as many as 75 wounded and 100 KIAs in one load). Some missions included spraying “Agent Orange” from the back of the plane, exposure to which has caused him medical problems ever since.
For his service Don was awarded the following: Good Conduct Award, Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service Award, Vietnam Service Award, Vietnam Campaign Award, Small Arms Expert Award, and Flight Crew Wings.
Following his service, Don attended California State College, Chico, graduating in 1976 with a BA degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Don then moved to Santa Rosa and worked for Saint Goban Corporation. It was there that he met and married his wife, Jewell, in 1980.
During this time in Santa Rosa, Don felt called to the ministry and enrolled in Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1990.
At that time, he accepted a pastorate with Redwood Gospel Mission in Santa Rosa. In 2003, Don and Jewell moved to Ukiah and established the Ukiah branch of Redwood Gospel Mission. Don remains an active minister in this post to the present.
Don and Jewell have one son, Stephen, living in South Carolina.
Don is a lifetime member of the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans.
When asked about his service, Don replied he was proud to have given some to his country, but said the real heroes are the ones who gave all. He also wanted to remind us, as we celebrate Christmas, that God gave His only begotten Son for all of us!
“The Quilts of Valor Organization is honored to present Donald E. Smith this quilt in recognition for his service to our country.”
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