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NAME Robert Lewis Smith |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER 356283 |
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| UNIT VMSB-233 Radioman / Gunner |
HOME OF RECORD RR 15, Indianapolis, IN |
NEXT OF KIN Mother, Mrs. Alta M. Smith |
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| DATE OF BIRTH ~1925 |
ENTERED SERVICE January 24, 1942 |
DATE OF LOSS January 9, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA New Georgia |
CASUALTY TYPE Missing In Action Declared Dead February 19, 1943 |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS PFC Robert Lewis Smith was a radioman/gunner serving with VMSB-233 during the Solomon Islands campaign. On 9 January 1943, he took off from Guadalcanal to participate in a strike against Japanese warships spotted near Munda. SBD-4 Bureau Number 06790, carrying Smith and Second Lieutenant Leon B. Avnet, was last seen at 1900 hours over the Russell Islands. The flight encountered awful weather en route to the target. Four bombers aborted; the rest, flying on instruments, failed to make contact. Avnet and Smith never returned to the field and were feared lost at sea. No trace of Avnet or Smith was ever seen again. Both men were declared dead on 19 February 1945. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Private First Class |
STATUS OF REMAINS Missing. |
MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery |
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