9th Ward Veteran Interviews - Ashton Smith

Spotlight on Ashton Smith

Brother Aston Smith was on his mission, singing with a special 8-man chorus under the direction of Crawford Gates at the Valley Forge Memorial when he exited that historic chapel and learned that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. He received his draft call while he was in the mission field in Philadelphia. Ashton served in WWII in the Army Infantry as a rifleman. After General McArthur was driven out of the Philippines by the Japanese, General McArthur said, “I shall return” and Ashton Smith’s group helped him return and reclaim the Philippines. He spent Christmas on ship at the equator on his way over to the Philippines. While there, he had many close calls and could have been killed numerous times such as the time his group was fired on by a tank and he was ordered to crawl up a hill and heard the “Shing! Shing” of bullets passing by his head or being fired at in his foxhole and learning the next day that a canteen next to him had a bullet hole in it; he often wondered why his life was preserved but feels it may have been so he could take care of and raise his children. The war ended while he was in the Philippines and since he was married and had a daughter combined with his time of service and combat points, he had enough points to get out of the army early.

Brother Smith appreciates the opportunity he had to serve and protect our freedoms but doesn’t want to have any other wars. He feels so thankful for the freedom we have. He learned that with the gospel we have the faith that the Lord will direct us and it doesn’t really matter whether we live or die as long as we are faithful. He found it a great consolation to know who he was and that Heavenly Father is out there so he knew he was never alone. He learned the things that are most important are family and the gospel. Brother Smith is grateful for this occasion to celebrate and honor veterans. We should honor all veterans because we owe a lot to those who put their lives in jeopardy for us to preserve our freedoms.