Memorial Day - U.S. Army Service WWI

front center: G. Ensign SMITH

Batteru C, 145 Field Arrilery, Camp Kearney, San Diego, Calif. Dec 22 1917. [cropped photo]

Geo Ensign SMITH in the gunner seat

Sergeant - Smith George E

Army serial # 1,640,541
Enlisted in: NG at Logan Utah 9 Apr 1917 (age 19)
Organizations: Btry C 145 FA to disch.
Grades: Corp 4 Aug 1917; Sgt 1 Oct 1918
Served overseas: France - 5 Aug 1918 to 4 Jan 1919

Fort Douglas Sep 1917 (sitting far left Geo Ensign SMITH)
"1 Henry Frogley 2 Hula (dog) 3 The Hon. (Geo Ensign SMITH) 4 A.T.Larsen"
arrows points to Geo Ensign SMITH"Geo. Ensign SMITH and Henry Frogley some where some time"
"1 Dots Im (Geo. Ensign SMITH) 2 Saigt Picket 3 No. Croxton 4 Zollinger 5 Frank"
"1 Henry Frogley a dandy good clean chum 2 The Hon (Geo Ensign SMITH)
3 A L Larsen from Cove up by Lewiston (ID)"

Forwarded 26 Jan 1921 Victory Medal with clasp: France

Bronze "Victory Button" issued
Paid in full $24.40 21 Jan 1919

[note below photo of girlfriend A. Ella Hawkes they married 27 Aug 1919]
The United States of America Honors the Memory of George E. SMITH
signed Lyndon B. Johnson President of the United States
Ninety four years later (1917-2011) great great grandson visits George Ensign SMITH (1898-1967) memorial .

note: memorial births is off by one year.
See: grandson in GE SMITH WWI helmet.

Memorial Day - U.S. Navy Service WWII

(Age 19)
Kirt DeMar WOOD U.S. Navy 7 July 1943 to 16 March 1946.
Highest rank or rating held: Pharmacist's Mate first Class.

After high school he enlisted in the navy. WWII was in full force and he spent time in Farragut, Idaho and in Seattle, Washington and he trained as a hospital corpsmen. He was sent to San Diego and went through marine training there, and was assigned to the fleet marine core. He was in the south seas during the war, assigned to an LST boat, which landed marines in the Philippine Islands. He was in the battle of Leyte Gulf, and during that battle he sustained some shrapnel wounds in his thigh and in his back when their ship was strafed by the Japanese. He survived that, of course, and came home with a purple heart. One of the interesting things that happened while he was out on that boat, was that when they crossed the equator they held a court of King Neptune on the boat, and he was accused of holding church in the sick bay. Now I think he was guilty. I suspect that he held a lot of church services where ever he could. [Kirt sign up as a sailor in the Navy, he was briefly transferred to the Marines then when given the choice returned to the Navy.]

Battle of Leyte Gulf 1944
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history. (Wikipedia)
U.S.Casualties and losses
~2,800 dead;
1 light carrier,
2 escort carriers,
2 destroyers,
1 destroyer escort sunk
200+ planes
Japanese Casualties and losses
~10,500 dead;
1 fleet carrier,
3 light carriers
3 battleships,
10 cruisers,
11 destroyers sunk
~500 planes

Kirt DeMar WOOD awarded Purple Heart 2 June 1945
WOOD brothers met for a brief time aboard ship in the Pacific.
(Younger brother Lex enlisted 30 Sep 1943 he was 17 years old.)