Smith, James E. (James Edward), 1950-

Born on June 7, 1919 in Lockport Township, Illinois, west of Joliet. Jim graduated from high school in 1937, and enrolled in Morton Junior College in Harvey, Illinois. He then headed west to Cheyenne, Wyoming and worked for United Airlines. It was there that he first learned to fly. In June of 1941 he was drafted into the Army, serving for a time in the field artillery, then transferring to the Army Air Force after Pearl Harbor. He spent the next two years in flight training, eventually being assigned to B-17s as a pilot. He arrived at Kimbolton, England in October, 1943, assigned to the 527th Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, 8th Bomber Command of the 8th Air Force. His first mission was against the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt, Germany. Smith eventually flew 25 combat missions over Germany and France as the pilot of Ruthie, including missions against the Ruhr valley, the Kiel Canal and submarine pens at Bremen. He returned to the States in early 1945, where he served for the remainder of the war.

From the description of An interview with James E. Smith / James E. Smith ; Mark R. DePue, interviewer. 2007. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 190865127