Graham "Peepsight" Smith (April 19, 1919 – April 30, 1951) was an
U.S. Army Air Force
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
officer and combat fighter pilot with the
332nd Fighter Group
The 332d Expeditionary Operations Group is a provisional air expeditionary group of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command, currently active. It was inactivated on 8 May 2012 and reactivated 16 November 2014.
The group forms part of ...
's
99th Fighter Squadron
The 99th Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the ...
, best known as the
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the ...
. He was a member of Tuskegee Airmen's fourth-ever aviation cadet program and one of the 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.
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.
Smith's brother, Reginald V. Smith, also trained as a pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group.
Early life and family
Smith was born on April 19, 1919, in the agricultural community of
Hertford County
Hertford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,552. Its county seat is Winton. It is classified within the region known in the 21st century as the Inner Banks.
History
H ...
. He was the son of Dempsey Porter Smith (1885–1976) and Zeora L. Smith (1902–1985). His siblings included sister Mildred Evelyn Smith (1913–1935) and brother, Reginald V. Smith (September 15, 1925 – July 7, 1946), who graduated from Tuskegee Flight School's Class 45-E-SE as a twin-engine pilot at Tuskegee Air Field, receiving his wings and commission as a flight officer.
Smith attended the Negro Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (now
North Carolina A&T
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...
), where he was the treasurer of NC A&T's Sphinx Club.
On October 30, 1943, Smith married Annie D. Valentine Hall in Weldon, North Carolina.
Pre-military flight training
In its efforts to address the shortage of potential military pilots nationwide (especially with pressure from the African American press, civil rights organizations and colleges for African American participation in aeronautics), the U.S. Federal Government, through the Civilian Pilot Training Program, earmarked six
historically black colleges and universities
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...
to develop a cadre of African American pilots. The federal government selected the following schools for official CPTP sites:
Tuskegee Institute
Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature.
The campus was de ...
(now
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature.
The campus was d ...
West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities ...
Delaware State University
Delaware State University (DSU or Del State) is a public historically black land-grant research university in Dover, Delaware. DSU also has two satellite campuses: one in Wilmington and one in Georgetown. The university encompasses four col ...
Hampton University
Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...
) and Smith's alma mater, the Negro Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina. Smith was one of 20 students selected, out of 100-plus applicants. 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.
Military service
In 1942, the U.S. Army Air Corps admitted Smith to its Advanced Flight School at Tuskegee Army Airfield. 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
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
. He was then assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group's
99th Fighter Squadron
The 99th Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the ...
where he would operate from 1943 to 1945.
On May 5, 1943, Smith and Lieutenant
James T. Wiley
James Thomas Wiley (August 7, 1918 – May 3, 2000) was a U.S. Army Air Forces/U.S. Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails".
One of the Unite ...
were the 99th Fighter Squadron's first two P-40 pilots to land in North Africa, at Oued N’ja in French Morocco.
In 1944, Smith was transferred back to the United States.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Smith left the military, returning for the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
where he served with the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing and the 12th Fighter Bomber Squadron.
At the time of his death in 1951, Smith held the rank of
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
.
Death
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
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. After deeming Smith Missing in Action on December 31, 1953, his status was changed to presumed dead.
He was interred at the
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
, Plot MH, 0, 325-B, in
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
*
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
United Nations Service Medal
The United Nations Service Medal for Korea (UNKM) is an international military decoration established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950 as the United Nations Service Medal. The decoration was the first international award ever created by t ...
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
The Korean War Service Medal (KWSM, ko, 6.25사변종군기장, ), also known as the Republic of Korea War Service Medal (ROKWSM), is a military award of South Korea which was first authorized in December 1950.
History
6.25 Incident Participati ...
Legacy
* In 2007, the General Assembly of North Carolina passed a resolution honoring the legacy of Smith, his brother Reginald V. Smith, and other Tuskegee Airmen from
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
.GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2007, RATIFIED BILL. RESOLUTION 2007-62. HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 2063. A JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN AND EXPRESSING APPRECIATION FOR THEIR SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR. https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2007/Bills/House/PDF/H2063v3.pdf
List of Tuskegee Airmen
List of Tuskegee Airmen contains the names of the Tuskegee Airmen, who were a group of primarily African-American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, me ...
*
List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes This is a chronological list of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes from 1942 to 1946.
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They forme ...