Korean WarVietnam War George William Smith (July 8, 1925 – September 30, 2014) was a decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps who rose to the rank of major general.

He graduated from the Camp Hill High School in summer 1943 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in September of that year.

Smith was subsequently called to active duty and transferred to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for service as a platoon leader with the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division under Major General Edwin A.

Smith was ordered to Korea in February 1955, when he was appointed an assistant operations officer with the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division under Major General Merrill B.

He led his battalion during the series of jungle patrols along the McNamara Line, during which his unit reduced the enemy's manpower and materiel assets in the northern sector of the I Corps Tactical Zone.

Smith led his battalion through rugged mountains into triple-canopied jungle and manoeuvred along two parallel precipitous ridge lines against increased hostile resistance when the lead company was pinned down by intense enemy fire.

Realizing the urgency of maintaining the momentum of the attack, Smith, undaunted by the hostile rounds impacting near him, unhesitatingly moved across the fire-swept terrain to a dangerously exposed forward position where he could better observe and control supporting arms fire and aggressive assaults to route the North Vietnamese force.

Immediately establishing a landing zone for the extraction of the wounded, he repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire while moving about to coordinate and personally direct the medical evacuation of the casualties.

[3][5] Smith remained in the command of the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines until the end of March and subsequently was appointed operations officer of Task Force Delta under Brigadier General Frank E. Garretson.

The Task Force Delta was located at Vandegrift Combat Base in western Quang Tri Province and essentially functioned as 3rd Marine Division Forward Headquarters.

[1][2] Smith was responsible for the basic training of newly commissioned officers until May 1973, when he was sent to Philadelphia for duty as director, 4th Marine Corps Reserve and Recruitment District.

[1] Smith was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on June 11, 1974, and ordered back to Headquarters Marine Corps, where he assumed duty as director, Information Systems Support and Management Division.

Major General George W. Smith died at his home in Newport Beach, California, on September 30, 2014, and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.