On October 24, 2024, Calvin Herbert Smith, native of Maytown, PA, and long-time resident of Warner Robins, GA, departed this life in peace. He was 100 years old.
Born in 1923 to Herbert and Lorieta Smith, he grew up in rural Pennsylvania during the days of Prohibition and the Great Depression. After high school, he attended Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA until WWII began, abruptly interrupting his education. Calvin enlisted in the Army Air Corps and had a storied and decorated military career, serving in all six major European campaigns (Europe, Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe), including 12 combat missions.
Upon separation from active duty in 1946, Calvin attended Purdue University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in June 1950. Throughout that time, he remained in the Army Reserves, attaining the rank of Captain before being honorably discharged in October 1957…