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Elizabeth Smith Doerning
Frank A. Smith, Jr., born in 1926, in Boston, Massachusetts, was 16 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in September 1942. His twin brother, Gerald J. Smith, also 16 years old, enlis...view moreFrank A. Smith, Jr., born in 1926, in Boston, Massachusetts, was 16 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in September 1942. His twin brother, Gerald J. Smith, also 16 years old, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Both served as Radarmen during World War II. Frank served on the Destroyer Escort U.S.S. Ramsden DE-382 in the stormy North Atlantic, providing anti-submarine protection for troop transports and supply convoys heading to fight the war against Germany. He also served on the amphibious vessel U.S.S. LST-759 in the South Pacific. The LST vessels, “Landing Ship, Tank,” were newly designed supply and troop transport ships constructed during World War II to land directly onto beaches. Frank’s travels took him from Norfolk, Virginia, to Casablanca, Morocco, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to Okinawa. Frank and Gerald were 19 years old when U.S. President Harry S. Truman announced the surrender of the Empire of Japan in 1945. Frank compiled his memories prior to his death in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 84.view less