The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has identified the remains of 19-year-old soldier Pfc. Clinton E. Smith Jr., who was killed in World War II nearly 80 years ago. Smith, a machine gunner and musician, will be laid to rest in San Antonio. His identification came after extensive research and analysis by DPAA scientists. Smith’s family will finally receive closure and honor his sacrifice. Trish Choate reported
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced on Thursday that the remains of a 19-year-old soldier from Wichita Falls who was killed in World War II have been identified after almost 80 years. Private First Class Clinton E. Smith Jr., who served as a machine gunner and a musician, will be laid to rest on November 27 in San Antonio. Newspaper clippings from the past provide insight into Smith’s life and his sacrifice for his country. Despite his initial belief that his days of playing the piano were over when he joined the 45th Infantry Division, Smith played the instrument on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy. Smith, a music major at Baylor University, joined the Army in Corpus Christi. He served in three major campaigns with the 45th Infantry Division and had recently received the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Smith’s family received a full briefing on his identification after he was accounted for on September 28, 2022. Smith was killed on January 14, 1945, during the Battle of Reipertswiller in France while manning a machine gun. His remains could not be recovered at the time due to the German control of the area. The American Graves Registration Command conducted searches for fallen American personnel in the area, but Smith’s remains were not found. However, DPAA historians conducting ongoing research discovered that remains buried at Lorraine American Cemetery could be associated with Smith. These remains were disinterred and analyzed, and through dental, anthropological, and mitochondrial DNA analysis, they were identified as Smith’s. A rosette will be placed next to Smith’s name on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in France to indicate that he has been accounted for. Smith’s parents were notified in February 1945 that he was missing in action, and in July 1945, they received official confirmation of his death from the War Department. For more information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit dpaa.mil..
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced on Thursday that the remains of Pfc. Clinton E. Smith Jr., a 19-year-old soldier from Wichita Falls who was killed in World War II, have finally been identified after almost 80 years. Smith, who served as a brave machine gunner and a talented musician who entertained fellow soldiers at camp shows, will be laid to rest in San Antonio on November 27th. Newspaper clippings from the past provide some insight into the life of this young man who joined the Army in Corpus Christi and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
In an old clipping, Smith expressed his surprise at being able to continue playing the piano despite his expectations. He vividly remembered playing “Lili Marlene” on a worn-out piano on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy, with the piano itself appearing as if it had endured the previous war due to the presence of German artillery shells. Born in Wichita Falls, Smith had been a music major at Baylor University before enlisting in the Army. He had already served in three significant campaigns with the 45th Infantry Division by May 1945 and had recently received the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
Officials from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed that Smith’s remains were accounted for on September 28, 2022, but it was only recently that his family received a full briefing on his identification. Smith was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in January 1945. During the Battle of Reipertswiller in France, his unit engaged with German forces and became encircled along with four other companies. Smith was killed on January 14th by an artillery strike while manning a machine gun in support of his company’s efforts to regain lost ground.
Unfortunately, his body could not be recovered at the time due to the ongoing fighting and the area being controlled by the Germans. Despite efforts by the American Graves Registration Command to locate fallen American personnel in the area around Reipertswiller, Smith’s remains were not found. As a result, he was declared nonrecoverable on March 29, 1951. However, ongoing research by DPAA historians into soldiers missing from combat in the same area led to the discovery that remains designated as X-6985 St. Avold, buried at Lorraine American Cemetery, could potentially be associated with Smith. The remains were exhumed in August 2021 and analyzed at the DPAA Laboratory in Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, using dental, anthropological, and mitochondrial DNA analysis.
To honor Smith’s identification, a rosette will be placed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in France. This cemetery, operated by the American Battle Monuments Commission, also serves as the final resting place for other soldiers still missing from World War II. Additional information about the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans can be found on their website or social media platforms.
According to newspaper articles from 1945, Smith had moved to Corpus Christi with his family in the 1930s. In addition to attending Baylor University, he also attended Wynn Seale Junior School in Corpus Christi and the Texas Military School in San Antonio. Smith’s parents received notification in early February 1945 that their son was missing in action on the French Front. The last letter they received from him was dated January 5th, just days before his death. In July 1945, the War Department sent an official message to Smith’s parents confirming his death.
Trish Choate, an enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covered this story and can be contacted for news tips. Her recent work can be found on the publication’s website..