USAF Major General Howard Persons Smith, Jr., 91, of Oakland Park, Florida passed away Tuesday, May 10, 2016, in Oakland Park, Florida. To honor his wishes, Major General Smith was cremated and a graveside memorial service will be held for Major General Smith at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 2, 2016, at Oak Ridge Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest with full military honors.
Born November 30, 1924 in West Palm Beach, Florida, Major General Smith was the son of the late Howard Persons Smith, Sr. and Ruth Burns Smith. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his wife, Ethel Bernice Cady Smith, who passed away in 2000; and his brother, Dr. Robley Dunglison Smith III, who passed away in 2001.
General Smith graduated from Tifton High School in 1941. He entered active military duty in the U.S. Army in April 1943 at Fort McPherson. He later qualified for aviation cadet training and in August 1944 was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps with the rating of aerial navigator at Selman Air Field, Monroe, La.
He subsequently received bombardier and radar-observer training and during World War II was a navigation instructor and a member of B-17, B-24 and B-29 aircraft crews at various airfields in the United States. He was released from active duty in December 1945 and then attended the University of Georgia.
In February 1947, General Smith was recalled to active duty and integrated into the Regular Forces, and served a tour of duty at Thule Air Base, Greenland, flying in RB-17 photographic and SHORAN (short-range navigation) mapping aircraft with the 16th Photographic Squadron from MacDill Field, FL. In October 1947, he began pilot training at Randolph Field, Texas, and completed advanced multiengine pilot training at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. In October 1948, he was assigned to the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Group of the 311th Air Division at Forbes Air Force Base, Kan., where he flew RB-17 and RB-29 aircraft.
General Smith was transferred to Headquarters Second Air Force, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, in October 1949, as staff radar reconnaissance officer in the Directorate of operations. In April 1950, he was assigned to the Directorate of Operations, Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., first in the Reconnaissance Division, then in the Flying Training Division, and later in the Radar Bombing Branch. In July 1954, he was transferred to the 44th Bombardment Wing at Lake Charles Air Force Base, LA, and served as a B-47 jet bomber pilot, aircraft commander, and chief of wing operations plans.
From July 1957 to February 1958, he served on a temporary duty assignment in Hawaii as director of intelligence at SAC X-Ray, the Strategic Air Command Liaison Office at Pacific Command Headquarters, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.
In April 1958, General Smith returned to Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and was chief of the Threat Branch in the Air Estimates Division of the Directorate of Intelligence. In September 1960, he was selected to be a member of the intelligence element of the initial Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff at SAC Headquarters, a position he held until 1963. During this tour of duty, in 1962, he received a bachelor of general education degree from the University of Omaha.
General Smith was a student at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C., from August 1963 to August 1964, and during this time obtained a Master of Science degree in business administration from The George Washington University. He then was assigned to the Joint Staff, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as the Single Integrated Operational Plan officer in the Strategic Operations Division of the Directorate of Operations, J-3.
In June 1967, he became director of targets for the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Headquarters Seventh Air Force, Tan Son Nhut Airfield, Republic of Vietnam. In June 1968, he was assigned to Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, where he served as the director of targets, and in August 1970 assumed duties as deputy chief of staff, intelligence.
General Smith was transferred to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., in September 1971 as director of intelligence applications, and became deputy assistant chief of staff, intelligence, in February 1972.
In March 1973 he was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency as deputy director for intelligence.
General Smith became commander of the U.S. Air Force Security Service, a worldwide major Air Force command with headquarters at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, in May 1974. In August 1975 he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, as director of intelligence, J-2.
He was a command pilot and navigator. His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters.
He was promoted to the grade of major general on April 2, 1973, with date of rank Aug. 1, 1969 and his last assignment was director of intelligence, J-2, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany.
Major General Smith is survived by two sons and a daughter-in-law, Brian Rockly Smith of Honolulu, Hawaii and Leslie Alan and Karen Smith of Richmond, Virginia; and two daughters and sons-in-law, Kimberly and Edward Dunbar of Niceville, Florida and Wendelin “Wendy” and Alford Kelly of Pasadena, Maryland.