Larry Eugene Smith

Larry Eugene Smith was raised in a large family in Washington, Iowa. He had 6 brothers, a sister, and a foster sister. Smith was a member of the local First Christian Church and graduated from Washington High School in the class of 1968. He joined the Army in July 1968 and started his tour in Vietnam in February of the following year. PFC Smith served as an infantryman with the 1st Cavalry Division in the Loc Ninh area, north of Saigon near the Cambodian border. He was killed on April 26, 1969, less than 70 days into his tour, when his unit encountered an enemy force while on a combat operation in the Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam. Smith was 20 years old at the time of his death. His body was returned to Iowa and buried at the Friends Cemetery in Richland.