[3][1] Smith was the first African American US Military combat fighter pilot to land on foreign soil in North Africa, at Oued N’ja in French Morocco.
[1] NC A&T's program required Smith and other candidates to be least a sophomore enrolled an any of the academic programs on campus, and prepared to 72 hours of ground school including aeronautics, avionics and the physics of flight, and 35 to 45 hours of flying time towards a private pilot certificate.
On July 3, 1942, Smith graduated as a member of the Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-42-F, receiving his wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.
[1] On May 5, 1943, Smith and Lieutenant James T. Wiley were the 99th Fighter Squadron's first two P-40 pilots to land in North Africa, at Oued N’ja in French Morocco.
[11][1] On April 30, 1951, Smith died from multiple fragmentation wounds when his aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft flak during a combat mission near Miudong, North Korea.