Rex Andrew Smith's Obituary
On 27 February, 2011 of Belmont Country Club, Ashburn, Virginia died at his home of multiple (34) disorders and the final diagnosis, in September 2010, of stage four lung cancer was the last ailment he could not overcome. Rex was predeceased by his wife, Jean Elizabeth, of 57 years of marriage in March of 2004. Rex was cared for by his son, D. Jeffrey Smith, for over the last six years of his life as Jeffrey lived with him and they enjoyed the precious last years of his life together. An angel, Julia Sevilla, was Rex’s nurse and caregiver for the last 8 months of his life, and was heaven-sent truly from above. Rex passed away while under Hospice care for two months, with Julia Sevilla, his trusted nurse and Jeff by his side every step of his final journey. Rex is survived by his son, D. Jeffrey Smith, 61, his grandson, Ryan Thomas Smith Tomko, 33, and his wife, Susan Tomko, and their daughter Geneva Tomko, 2. Donations may be made to the Cancer Society, Lung Cancer support donations
Rex will also be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, and will be with his wife, Jean. Service will be on Tuesday 5 July 2011 at 1pm in the old chapel at Ft Meyer, burial service to follow, with full military honors from the Old Guard, 3rd Infantry Division, and a luncheon reception in the Ft Myer’s Officer’s Club from 2:30 to 4:30pm (see below for details and to make reservations with Jeffrey.
MILITARY SERVICE
Rex Smith enlisted, as a private, in the United States Army on October 8, 1936 at the age of 14, with a little help from his sister, who signed the enlistment papers as his mother and said he was 18, and retired on July 31, 1962 at Presidio of San Francisco, California after 26 years service at age 40 as a Lt. Colonel. Mr. Smith is the youngest person to have ever joined the U.S. Army. He began his service as a private on October 8, 1936 and was stationed at Fort Clayton, Panama Canal Zone thru December 1938 with the 33rd Infantry; from 1939 to 1942 at the Army Air Corps, Wheeler Field, and Schofield Barracks MP Company, Hawaii. He was at Schofield Barracks at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. While assigned to the Schofield Barracks Military Police he received the Soldiers Medal, the 9th highest Army award, for heroism by going down the side of a mountain on 600 feet of rope to recover the body of a lady who fell off the mountain to her death. He was 19 years old at the time. He attended the Military Police (MP) Officers Candidate School Class #11, Fort Custer, Michigan, from January to March 1943, where he became an officer. He was stationed from August 1943 to June 1944 in Iceland and England to prepare and practice for the D-Day landing. He was engaged during the D-Day landing at 7:00 AM on Utah Beach, Normandy France June 6, 1944 with the First Engineer Amphibious Special Brigade, where his troops under his command moved millions of troops, equipment and supplies inland over a 9 month period. He continued with operations in France, Germany, and Austria through the end of the war to Victory in Europe (VE) day. He was the Chief of the first Criminal Investigation Unit in Manhattan from 1945 to 1949, Provost Marshal Office, and CO, 10th Criminal Investigation Unit, and Manhattan, New York City. He was stationed with the 3rd CID, Fort Gordon, Georgia 1949 to 1950; 1950 to 1952 3rd CID, and Chief CID, Provost Marshal Office, 8th US Army, Korea; 1952 to 1953 CO, 23rd CID, and 101st CID Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan; Sept to Dec 1953 Officers Associate Advanced Class, Fort Gordon, Ga.; 1953 to 1956 Operations Officer, and Executive Officer, 701st MP Battalion, Fort Knox, KY; 1956 to 1958 Provost Marshal, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PE; 1958 to 1961 Assistant Chief CID, Provost Marshal Office, Headquarters United States Army EUROPE, Heidelberg, Germany; 1961 to July 1962 Chief CID, 6th US Army, Presidio of San Francisco, Calif. The following list delineates the Army decorations he received: Soldiers Medal (9th highest award); American Defense Service Medal w/Bronze Service Star; WW II Victory Medal; American Campaign Medal; Army Occupation Medal (Germany and Japan); Humanitarian Service Medal; 8 Overseas/Service Bars; United Nations Service Medal for Korea; National Defense Service Medal; Republic Of Korea Presidential Unit Citation; Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal; Korean Service Medal; and the Armed Forces Service Medal.
CIVILIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT
September 1961 until retirement in September 1978, Inspector and Senior Inspector, District Attorney’s Office, San Mateo County, California. He had vast experience and truly fulfilling careers in both the US Army Military Police and criminal investigation in the Army and in civilian life with both criminal and civil law enforcement.
RETIREMENT
Rex and Jean, his wife, enjoyed a full and rewarding retirement for 26 years from 1978 filled with a tremendous amount of golf, travel, friends, relatives including their son, Jeff. Jean passed away 25 March 2004 after a 21 month fight also with lung cancer. She passed away at home, under Hospice care, with Rex and Jeff, their son, by her side. On 13 April 2004 Jean was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. Service was held in the old chapel at Ft Meyer, pallbearers were military soldiers from the Old Guard, 3rd Infantry Division. In 2005, Rex fell in his house and broke his hip, and after 2 months in a rehab facility his son, Jeff decided to move in with him at his house in Belmont Country Club, Ashburn, Virginia. Rex and Jeff lived together for 6 years, traveled extensively, played golf, and enjoyed the remaining years of Rex’s life together.
RECEPTION AT FT MYER’s OFFICERS CLUB
214 Jackson Avenue, Fort Myer, VA 22211
Go to front door, up the stairs; turn right into large dining room (seats 75)
Please send D. Jeffrey Smith an email at [email protected] if you plan on attending the funeral at 1pm with the luncheon following at about 2:30pm. Jeff needs to get a head count of who wants to have lunch following for the O’Club catering office purposes. The menu selection is below, and please indicates what selection you wish to order in your email.
ENTREES
All Entrees include House Salad, Vegetables, Potatoes or Grains, Rolls and Butter
Fettuccini with Chicken
Grilled Chicken Breast Served over Fettuccini and finished with our very own Alfredo Sauce
Grilled Salmon
Lightly Grilled Salmon Served with a Dill Lemon Sauce
Chicken Schnitzel
Fresh Breast of Chicken lightly breaded then baked then finished with a Lemon Caper Sauce
London Broil
Marinated and then Char-Grilled to perfection of medium rare
Grilled Chicken Breast
Served with Mustard Dill Sauce and Seasonal Vegetables
Seafood Jambalaya
Fresh Shrimp, Scallops, Mussels, and Crab Meat Combined in a Savory Tomato Sauce Reduction
Served with a choice of penne pasta or rice.
Stuffed Chicken Breast
Tender Breast of Chicken Stuffed with Roasted Shitake Mushrooms and Shallots, then topped
With White Wine Sauce
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