James Smith
Born
1932 near Swea City, Iowa
U.S.
Air Force Korean War Veteran
James
Smith had just turned 21 years-old when he enlisted in the U.S. Air
Force. He was sent to Korea on a 9 month tour of duty right after
completing tech school training.
Smith
was stationed at the military's Seoul City Air Base as part of the
Airways and Air Communications Squadron where he worked ordering
radar and radio equipment parts plus supplies for his outfit.
“Every
night, just after dark, a North Korean plane would fly over our
base,” Smith remembered with a smile. “He'd fly over and then
disappear with out dropping a bomb or firing a shot. We had to get
into the foxholes for cover in case he had some idiot idea to drop
something on us.” Smith said the nightly flyovers went on for a
couple months before the “visits” just stopped.
After
his discharge, Smith came back home, worked for a trucking business,
and was on the Owatonna, Minnesota police
department before settling back in Swea City, Iowa to farm. Health
problems forced him to hang up the plow for good.
Story and Image © 2016 Joseph Kreiss Photography
