Anthony Keemon "Keemon" Smith 1934 - 1953

SMITH, WOOD, KILLNER, LARSTER, PSAHAS, BROWN

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 5/27/2013 at 02:15:44

Keemon Smith Is Killed
A telegram telling of the death of a second Estherville man in two weeks arrived here last night.

Mr. and Mrs. George Smith received word of the death of their son, Anthony Keemon Smith, 18, hospital corpsman third class who was killed “as a result of action in the Korean area” the telegram said. Details of his death are not known as yet.

Smith was killed July 9, the telegram said, just one month after he landed on June 9 at – Korea.

Born Nov. 28, 1934, he was reared and attended grade and high school here. He enlisted in the navy on Dec. 4, 1951, shortly after his 17th birthday. He received his basic and medical training at the Great Lakes training station in Chicago.

He requested a transfer to the marine corps earlier this year and left Estherville again on March – 1952 for Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Calif. He left San Diego, Calif. for Korea on May 21.

His parents were vacationing at their cottage at Pine River, Minn. when they received the telegram last night. They arrived home early this morning.

Surviving his death are his parents, two sisters, Mrs. J.D. (Helen) Wood who is with her husband stationed with the 194th Field Artillery battalion in Germany and Mrs. Sidney (Lovie Marie) Killner of Lafayette, Calif.; and a nephew, Jeff Wood.

Smith is the second Estherville man to be killed in the Korean action. The first was Msgt. Joyce E. Fredericksen who was killed in action on June 29. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, July 15, 1953)

Mrs. Joseph D. Wood, Son Arrive Here From Germany
Mrs. Joseph D. Wood and son J. Jeffrey of Wertheim, Germany arrived last week by trans-oceanic plane to spend a month with Mrs. Wood’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. George A. Smith. Lt. Wood, Communications officer of the 194th F.A. Bn., is stationed with the former Estherville unit in Wertheim, Germany. Mrs. Wood returned home to be with her parents upon notification of the death of her brother, A. Keemon Smith, who was killed in action in Korea, July 9. Another daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Mrs. S.J. Killner of Lafayette, Calif., left by plane on Wednesday to return home after spending a week here after notification of her brother’s death. Mrs. Rex Inman and Mrs. Smith took Mrs. Killner to Mason City where she boarded the plane. Other relatives and out-of-town visitors at the Smith home since they received word of their son’s death have been Mrs. Smith’s mother, Mrs. Lovie Larster, who returned to her home at New York Mills, Minn., on Tuesday after spending several days here; Mr. and Mrs. Pete Psahas and Andrew Brown of Detroit, cousins who also spent several days here; Mrs. Effie Spillias of Chicago, Ill.; William Spillias of Minneapolis, Minn.; Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Braga, Mr. and Mrs. La Verne Braga and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Pergakes of Iowa Falls. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, July 27, 1953)

Bodies Returned to U.S.
The bodies of two Estherville men are included among the bodies of 223 American who gave their lives as a result of the fighting in Korea and which were returned to the United States. They arrived at San Francisco yesterday. They are Master Sergeant Joyce E. Frederickson of W. 301 North Second street, and Anthony Keemon Smith, HMS, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Smith, 1026 Third avenue south. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, August 27, 1953)

The body of Anthony Keemon Smith, killed in action in Korea, arrived in Estherville Saturday. Funeral services were held at the Grace Episcopal church this afternoon. A military guard composed of members of the V.F.W. and the National Guard met the train when the body arrived. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, September 14, 1953)