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Revision as of 17:01, 15 September 2021

Graham "Peepsight" Smith
Born
Graham Smith

April 19, 1919
Ahoskie, North Carolina, US
DiedApril 30, 1951(1951-04-30) (aged 32)
North Korea, US
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Alma materThe Negro Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (now North Carolina A&T
Occupations
  • Military officer
  • fighter pilot
Years active1942 - 1951

Graham "Peepsight" Smith (April 19, 1919 - April 30, 1951) was an U.S. Army Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” ("Black Birdmen") among enemy German pilots.[1][2] He was a member of Tuskegee Airmen's fourth-ever aviation cadet program and one of the 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.[3][4]

Smith was the first African American US Military combat fighter pilot to land on foreign soil in North Africa, at Oued N’ja in French Morocco.[5]

Smith's brother, Reginald V. Smith, also trained as a pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group.[6][7]

Early Life, Family

Smith was born on April 19, 1919, in the agricultural community of Ahoskie, North Carolina, Hertford County.[8] He was the son of Dempsey Porter Smith (1885–1976) and Zeora L. Smith (1902–1985).

His siblings included sister Mildred Evelyn Smith (1913–1935) and brother, Reginald V. Smith (September 15, 1925 - July 7, 1946), who graduated from Tuskegee Flight School's Class 45-E-SE as a twin-engine pilot at Tuskegee Air Field, receiving his wings and commission as a Flight Officer.[9][10]

Smith attended the Negro Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (now North Carolina A&T) where he was the treasurer of NC A&T's Sphinx Club.[11]

On October 30, 1943, Smith married Annie D. Valentine Hall in Weldon, North Carolina.[12]

Pre-Military Flight Training

In its efforts to address the shortage of potential military pilots nationwide (especially with pressure from the African American press, civil rights organizations and colleges for African American participation in aeronautics), the U.S. Federal Government --- through its Civil Aeronautics Authority --- earmarked only six historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to develop a cadre of African American pilots.[13][14] The federal government selected the following HBCUs for official Civil Aeronautics Authority Training Program sites: Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University), Howard University, Delaware State University, Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), and Smith's alma mater, the Negro Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (now North Carolina A&T.[15][16][17] Smith was one of 20 HBCU students selected, out of 100-plus applicants.[18] NC A&T's program required Smith and other candidates to be least a sophomore enrolled an any of the academic programs on campus, and prepared to 72 hours of ground school including aeronautics, avionics and the physics of flight, and 35 to 45 hours of flying time towards a private pilot certificate.[19]

Military Service

In 1942, the U.S. Army Air Corps admitted Smith to its Advanced Flight School at Tuskegee Army Airfield. On July 3, 1942, Smith graduated as a member of the Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-42-F, receiving his wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.[20][21] The U.S. Army Air Corps assigned Smith to the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron where he would operate from 1943 to 1945.[22]

On May 5, 1943, Smith and Lieutenant James T. Wiley were the 99th Fighter Squadron's first two P-40 pilots to land in North Africa, at Oued N’ja in French Morocco.[23]

In 1944, Smith was transferred back to the United States.[24]

After World War II, Smith left the military, returning for the Korean War where he served with the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing and the 12th Fighter Bomber Squadron.[25]

At the time of his death in 1951, Smith held the rank of Captain.[26][27]

Commendations, Awards

Death

On April 30, 1951, Smith died from multiple fragmentation wounds when his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft flak during a combat mission near Miudong, North Korea.[34][35] After deeming Smith Missing in Action, U.S. Air Force, on December 31, 1953, presumed Smith dead.[36]

He was interred at the Arlington National Cemetery, Plot MH, 0, 325-B, in Arlington, Virginia, Arlington County.[37]

Legacy

  • On October 20, 1943, while on leave from the European Theater, Smith, in uniform, attended the Hampton Institute - State football game with future wife Annie D. Valentine, ten days before their October 30, 1943 wedding.[38]
  • In 2007, the General Assembly of North Carolina passed a resolution honoring the legacy of Smith, his brother Reginald V. Smith, and other Tuskegee Airmen from North Carolina.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  2. ^ Digital Gems - Illinois Heartland Library System. "Graham "Peepsight" Smith." https://digitalgems.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p114401coll5/id/44/
  3. ^ "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  5. ^ "Tuskegee Airman Chronology." Daniel L. Haulman, PhD, Chief, Organization History Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency)
  6. ^ Roanoke-Chowan News Herald. "One heartbeat." Cal Bryant. November 13, 2012. https://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/2012/11/13/one-heartbeat/
  7. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  8. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  9. ^ Roanoke-Chowan News Herald. "One heartbeat." Cal Bryant. November 13, 2012. https://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/2012/11/13/one-heartbeat/
  10. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  11. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  12. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  13. ^ State of the HBCU: Past, Present, Future. "What you should know before seeing Red Tails." BRIAN MCCLURE. JANUARY 13, 2012. https://stateofhbcus.wordpress.com/tag/civilian-pilot-training/
  14. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  15. ^ North Carolina Museum of History. "NC A&T Trained Black Pilots During WWII." Andre Taylor, Former Digital Content Producer, North Carolina Museum of History. https://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/blog/a-and-t-trained-black-pilots-during-ww2
  16. ^ State of the HBCU: Past, Present, Future. "What you should know before seeing Red Tails." BRIAN MCCLURE. JANUARY 13, 2012. https://stateofhbcus.wordpress.com/tag/civilian-pilot-training/
  17. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  18. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  19. ^ North Carolina Museum of History. "NC A&T Trained Black Pilots During WWII." Andre Taylor, Former Digital Content Producer, North Carolina Museum of History. https://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/blog/a-and-t-trained-black-pilots-during-ww2
  20. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster." https://cafriseabove.org/the-tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-roster/ . This data derives from CAF Rise Above's research project compiling data from Tuskegee Airmen historians including the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  21. ^ Black Knights: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen. Homan, Lynn, Thomas Reilly · 2001. Page 68.
  22. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  23. ^ 99th Fighter Squadron history, Mar 1941-Oct 1943.
  24. ^ Series: African American Activities in Industry, Government, and the Armed Forces, 1941 - 1945 Record Group 208: Records of the Office of War Information, 1926 - 1951. N.d. National Archives Identifier: 535836, Local Identifier: 208-NP-6EEE-1. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/535836
  25. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  26. ^ Together We Served. "Smith, Graham, Capt - Fallen." https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=PersonAircraftExt&ID=67306
  27. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  28. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  29. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  30. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  31. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  32. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  33. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  34. ^ Together We Served. "Smith, Graham, Capt - Fallen." https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=PersonAircraftExt&ID=67306
  35. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  36. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Captain Graham Smith and brother Flight Officer Reginald Vinson Smith." https://cafriseabove.org/captain-graham-smith-and-brother-flight-officer-reginald-vinson-smith/
  37. ^ Together We Served. "Smith, Graham, Capt - Fallen." https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=PersonAircraftExt&ID=67306
  38. ^ Unknown Newspaper Clip. "Flier from Overseas at Game." https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157120670496915&set=p.10157120670496915&type=3
  39. ^ GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2007, RATIFIED BILL. RESOLUTION 2007-62. HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 2063. A JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN AND EXPRESSING APPRECIATION FOR THEIR SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR. https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2007/Bills/House/PDF/H2063v3.pdf
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