Celebrating anniversary of returned hero

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephanie Englar
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  March 14 marks the 42nd anniversary of Richard "Gene" Smith's repatriation after he served as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for five years.

Smith was born in Marks, Mississippi, in the 1930s and attended Mississippi State University where he studied Chemical Engineering. He commissioned into the Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps and entered active-duty in 1956.

Following Navigator training in 1957 and the Radar Intercept Officer Course in 1958, Smith went through Undergraduate Pilot Training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, and earned his silver wings in 1962.

On Oct. 25, 1967, while flying his 33rd combat mission with the 333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, he was forced to eject from his aircraft over Hanoi, North Vietnam. His mission was to bomb the Doumer Bridge, a vital link for supplies for the Vietnamese. Unfortunately, while he successfully destroyed part of the bridge, he was shot down shortly after and spent 1,967 days in captivity in Hanoi, where he faced brutal interrogations, solitary confinement and he never once received treatment for his injuries. 

Smith claimed the three things that got him through those five years in captivity were his faith in God, his belief his country would not forsake him, and the knowledge his family was safe and being taken care of in the United States.

Smith was released five years after his capture during Operation Homecoming on March 14, 1973. Following his homecoming, he went through Pilot Instructor Training and became an instructor pilot for the 50th Flying Training Squadron. He served numerous positions on Columbus AFB, starting with Instructor Pilot and ending his career as the Director of Operations for the Wing. Smith retired from the Air Force July 31, 1978.

Smith stayed in Mississippi and served as the Executive Director of the local airport, Golden Triangle Regional airport, for 20 years. He also was the National President of the Air Force Association from 1994-1996.

Airmen on Columbus Air Force Base can see the ceremonial plaza dedicated to Smith right outside of the Wing Headquarters Building. Smith said having the plaza named after him was "a tremendous honor."