WWII soldier laid to rest at Fort Sam Houston Cemetery

World War II Army Private First Class Clinton E. Smith, Jr., from Corpus Christi, Texas, was finally laid to rest after his remains were identified after almost 80 years. The soldier’s service held Nov. 27 at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery included full military honors and a caisson.

During the Battle of Reipertswiller in France, Smith—who served with Company D, 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division—was killed on Jan. 14, 1945, by shrapnel while manning a machine gun. Because the Germans controlled the territory where Smith fell, his fellow soldiers were unable to remove the 20-year-old’s body.

Smith’s regiment had managed to penetrate the enemy’s defensive positions near Reipertswiller but was cut off by the German 6th SS Mountain Division. After three days with food and ammunition running low, the remaining soldiers formed a small defensive perimeter and placed the wounded in foxholes to be cared for by those still fighting.

With the end near, the remaining able-bodied soldiers attempted to break out.

Tragically, only two men reached Allied lines

Post-war search efforts by the American Graves Registration Command to recover Smith’s remains were unsuccessful. More recent efforts by Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency historians conducting on-going research into soldiers missing from combat around Reipertswiller found that one set of remains which had been buried at Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France, could be associated with Smith.

In August 2021, the remains were disinterred and transferred to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis. Using dental, mitochondrial DNA and anthropological analysis, Smith was identified.

Army Sergeant James Dallas, in charge of the machine gun squad in which Private Smith was first gunner, was only a few yards away when the Corpus Christi service man was killed. When Dallas was released from a German prison camp, he returned home and met with Smith’s parents.

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

Established in 1937, the 336-acre Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery’s richly landscaped grounds serve as a final resting place for many of America’s brave and beloved, including 12 Veterans who were awarded the Medal of Honor.

Burial in a VA national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces and Veterans who have met minimum active duty service requirements, as applicable by law, and who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty under certain circumstances or who die while on training duty are also eligible for burial, as are service members and former service members who were eligible for retired pay at the time of their death.

Spouses, minor children and, under certain conditions, dependent unmarried adult children are also eligible for burial even if they predecease the Veteran.

VA offers a unique way to pay tribute to Veterans on the Veterans Legacy Memorial website. The site, originally launched in 2019, contains a memorial page for each Veteran and service member interred in a VA national cemetery. The online tribute allows visitors to voice memories and appreciation for a Veteran’s service. All comments will be reviewed for appropriateness prior to being posted.

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