, and Captain
Marion E. Carl pose for a photo after being awarded Navy Crosses for their actions at Guadalcanal. After receiving his Marine Corps commission, he was ordered to
Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, where he attended the
Marine Basic School. Following various duty assignments at
Quantico, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island,
South Carolina, in 1937, he was transferred to the
Naval Air Station, Pensacola in July 1938 to begin flight training. A year later he graduated and was designated a
Naval Aviator. During the crucial battle for the
Solomons, he led
Marine Fighter Squadron 223 (VMF-223) on sorties against the enemy, during which the squadron accounted for 83 enemy aircraft destroyed.
Aerial victory credits While on temporary duty in Washington after his return from the Pacific, he was presented the Medal of Honor by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 24, 1943. After several months' duty in Washington, he served as
executive officer of
Marine Aircraft Group 32, then located at
Oahu, Hawaii. A few months later, he moved to the
Philippines and took part in the aerial offensives in the
Bismarck Archipelago in November and December 1944; moved up to
Luzon in the Philippines in January and February 1945; then on to
Mindoro and
Mindanao, and finally up to the
Sulu Archipelago. For his services in the Philippines during the period November 1944 to June 1945, he was awarded the
Legion of Merit for exceedingly meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service as executive officer for Marine Aircraft Group 32 in extensive support of ground and surface forces in the liberation of
Luzon,
Zamboanga Peninsula, the
Sulu Archipelago, and
Mindanao. After his return to the United States in June 1945, he served at the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida, until December 1945, and then was transferred to Quantico, Virginia, to serve as station operations officer. After his duty there and after performing various duties at
Cherry Point, North Carolina,
Washington, D.C., and
Havana, Cuba, in 1946 and 1947, he was detached from duty at the
Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia, to perform duty involving flying on the staff of commander, air force, Atlantic Fleet. In November 1948 he was on temporary aviation duty in England, France, and Germany. Lieutenant Colonel Smith was detailed as Marine Corps Aide to the
Chief of Naval Operations,
Navy Department, Washington, in December 1949; promoted to colonel on January 1, 1951; and in May 1951, he joined the Staff, Standing Group, of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, for two years. Following duty with Marine Training Group 10, at the
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, he began a year's duty in
Korea in July 1953. He served first as
commanding officer,
Marine Aircraft Group 33, until February 1954, then as assistant chief of staff, G-4 of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Upon his return from Korea, Smith was assigned to
Headquarters Marine Corps in August 1954, and entered the
National War College, completing the course in June 1955. The following month he was assigned to Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, as a member of the Advanced Research Group, serving in this capacity until July 1956. That August he assumed his duties at
Pensacola Naval Air Station as liaison officer on the staff of the chief of Naval Air Training. Colonel Smith retired from the Marine Corps on September 1, 1960, after which he worked in the defense industry until his suicide on June 9, 1972, in
Encino, Los Angeles, California. He is buried at
Arlington National Cemetery., and Captain Marion E. Carl pose for photos after returning to the United States after service in the Cactus Air Force at Guadalcanal in 1942. ==Medal of Honor citation==