WW II vet: ‘I just want my Purple Heart’

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James Samuel Smith is photographed in his Gary home near a framed portrait of Smith, in his Army uniform, and his wife, Clara. Smith has been trying to procure a Purple Heart for his service as a sergeant in the Army during World War II. During his servic

Updated: January 28, 2012 8:10AM

At 90 years old, World War II veteran James Samuel Smith Sr. tells his life story without skipping a beat, especially stories of his three years as a battalion clerk for the U.S. Army.

The Gary resident recounts that while stationed in Okinawa, Japan, he rushed from a tent to pull a severely injured pilot from his aircraft before it exploded. And he remembers being struck in the left leg by a bullet from enemy fire while on a ship loaded with Army trucks.

Despite his heroics, the retired optician has not received a Purple Heart or other medals.

“My battalion commander had all the proof of efforts removed from my honorable discharge papers,” Smith said, “and I have been trying to get my rightfully deserved honors ever since.”

Smith said when he told his commander that after being in the Army three years — 1943-46 — he was not going to re-enlist, the commander became angry.

“This commander was a white man from Mississippi who told the battalion clerk to remove my efforts from my discharge papers,” Smith said. “The clerk handed me a sealed envelope instead and told me had he not followed orders from the commander, he would be court-martialed. That battalion commander was very racist.”

For six years, Smith has been on a mission to obtain the medals he says he has earned. He has written letters to Congress, the Army and the Veterans Administration.

U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky wrote to the Army Review Board Agency on Smith’s behalf in 2007. A letter of reply indicates some details surrounding Smith’s Army service are missing, such as an exact date when he was wounded, whether he was treated by medical personnel and his honorable discharge record.

A spokeswoman for Visclosky’s office said the need for additional information was forwarded to Smith, but the office did not hear back from him.

The Army’s 2007 reply frustrates Smith.

“They tell me if I could find someone who witnessed or can prove I did these things, they will start the process of getting me my medals,” said Smith, who added that he doesn’t know whether the witnesses are even alive.

Smith said he was drafted into the Army after graduating from high school. He was assigned to the 4102 Truck Battalion and traveled with a lieutenant to order and pick up combat supplies.

While heading to Okinawa on a ship loaded with Army trucks, “we were pretty close to the island and suddenly we were being shot at from a Japanese aircraft,” Smith said. “One of the bullets from the enemy gunfire ricocheted from the deck and struck me in my left leg and I had a gaping wound.”

The pilot rescue happened while Smith was at the camp in Okinawa. He noticed a shot-up fighter plane spiraling out of control and bouncing off a tree.

“I ran out and a white pilot was wounded and his legs were broken. I pulled him out, dragged [and] then carried him away from the plane. The plane blew up moments later,” Smith said, adding that the pilot thanked him for saving his life.

“I just want my Purple Heart. Maybe President Obama can do something for me,” Smith said.