World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Harold J. Smith
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Hometown
Central Islip, New York
Honored By
Michael McTiernan
he enlisted in the U.S. Naval reserves on June 11, 1943. After his boot training at Newport, Rhode Island, he was sent to the Massachusetts Radio and Telegraph School, from which he was graduated on January 3, 1944. Aboard the USS Catoctin he served in the French invasion and then went through the Dardenelles to work at the Yalta Conference, where guests included President Franklins D. Roosevelt and other notables. Upon his arrival back in Rome, he was transferred to Admiral Henry K. Hewitt's Flagship. While returning to the United States on the Vulcania, which was serving as a liaison ship, they were hit by gunfire on August 16, 1944, causing many casualties. and some loss of life. On March 18, 1946, he was discharged.