First Name: James
Last Name: Smith
Middle Initial: M
Date of Birth: 01/23/1951
Sex: Male
Martial Status: Not Sure
Number of Children: Yes
Home Town: Laporte, Texas
Education Completed: Not Sure
Other Occupations:
Branch of Service: Army
Highest Rank: SP4
Serial Number: N/A
Platoon: N/A
Age at Start of Service: Not Sure
Years of Service: 5 to 10
Combat Veteran: No
Time in Combat: Not Sure
Place of Combat: N/A
Awards:
Date of Suicide: 11/1981
Suicide Method: Gun Shot
Veteran’s Story: My Uncle Jimmy was not the first, or the last person in my family to commit suicide. I didn’t know my Uncle Jimmy for very long, I was very young when he took his life. What I do remember of him is that he was a very loving man and I always liked it when he was around. He was also a very troubled man, but I never new that until he took his own life. From some discussions I have had with my father about him, he was always into something and it usually wasn’t good. My family was a military family; my father and almost all of my paternal uncles were or are in the military and before them my Grandfather. My Uncle Jimmy was also the one to discover his father, my grandfather, after his suicide. My Uncle Jimmy is survived by one child, 2 Grandchildren, five brothers, 2 sisters, and countless nieces and nephews. January 23, 1951 – November 25, 1981. My Grandfather, Floyd Smith, served in World War II, he flew in B-17′s as a tail gunner and in 1944 his plane was shot down over Germany and he was captured. He spent 13 months in a POW camp. While there he lost about 60-70 pounds and suffered several war injuries. Years later in 1965, when he found out he would spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair he killed himself, as did his father before him. In 1991, he was awarded a POW medal of honor. I never had the chance to meet him, however, I am very proud to be hisGranddaughter just the same. He was definitely a hero and he is definitely my hero.My mother, Sheila Ruth Smith, was enlisted in the Air Force at the time of the Vietnam War. And although she did not go to Vietnam, she did serve her country during the war. I am not sure how much the war affected her, but I am sure it didn’t help. She struggled with depression for years and when it got too much to handle, she too took her own life. My lifewill never be the same without her. 1 son, 1 daughter, 1 son-in-law, 1 sister, 4 brothers, and countless nieces, nephews and friends survive her. March 22, 1950 – February 1, 1984.All of them are greatly missed and remembered. And to me they are all heroes in their own right. And their legacies go on with us.
Submitted By: Thecia Annette Del Toro
Relationship to Veteran: Relative
