[1] During his time at the Dayton Daily News, he won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting with Russell Carollo for uncovering mismanagement in military healthcare.
[2] He was the author of No Higher Honor, published in 1999, a history of the USS Yorktown, frequently referred to as "Uncle Joe's boat.
[4] After graduation, Nesmith worked as a part-time reporter with the Plant City Courier in Florida and then taught 12th grade at Howey Academy from 1963 to 1964.
[7] Nesmith was a finalist for the Pulitzer for national reporting in 1996, along with Carol Hernandez, Russell Carollo and Cheryl Reed, for his contributions on two articles, "Military Secrets" and "Prisoners on the Payroll.
[12] The reports outlined how the military system failed to meet the same standards and safeguards enjoyed by the civilian population; these flaws sometimes led to injury and death.
[2] In April 1998, the Associated Press reported that "after the series was published, the military promised Congress it would make more than a dozen changes to its medical system, and the Pentagon announced the creation of a civilian board to review malpractice cases.