Bruce Alan Smith

SMITH, MILLER, MCWEENY, BUCK, PETER, BRAUNGER, CLARKE, SOMMERLOT

Posted By: Lynn McCleary (email)
Date: 8/1/2014 at 15:27:54

Muscatine Journal November 10, 2003 pg 5A

West Liberty, Iowa – Chief Warrant Officer (CW4) Bruce Alan Smith, 41, West Liberty, was killed in combat Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003, while serving America in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Services are 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the West Liberty community Center, 1204 N. Calhoun St., West Liberty. Burial, with full military honors, will be held at Oak Ridge Cemetery, West Liberty. The Barker Funeral Home, West Liberty, is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Smith was born May 3, 1962, in Washington County, the son of the late Arnold and Allene Miller Smith. He married Oliva McWeeny Sept. 18, 1983, in Owa City.

He graduated from Columbus Community Schools, Columbus Junction in 1980.

He was pilot in command of a CH-47 helicopter when it was attacked by a surface to air missile about 40 miles west of Baghdad. He sustained injuries from the crash and died at a military filed hospital. He was posthumously recognized for his valor in combat as a pilot with a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He has also been nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest military medal for extraordinary heroism in combat at the risk of life.

As a civilian, he worked from 1980-2000 at the University of Iowa as research assistant in the College of Medicine and the Departments of Pediatrics and Anesthesia.

He served his nation with distinction for more than 23 years in the Iowa Army National Guard before giving his life for his country and comrades. He enlisted before his senior year in high school in 1980 as a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard and then served as a combat medic in the 209th Medical Company in Iowa City, reaching the rank of sergeant.

He was appointed as a Warrant Officer and graduated from helicopter training programs as a UH-1 Huey pilot in 1987. He later attended advanced Army training courses including CH-47 flight school in 1994 and instructor pilot school in 2000. He was an instructor pilot with more than 2,000 hours of experience in the CH-47 Chinook and UH-1 Huey Army helicopters, including deployments to Honduras, Guyana, Iraq, and disaster and law enforcement support in Iowa.

Beginning in 2000, he worked as a full-time Training and Readiness Officer at the Army Aviation Support Facility No. 3 located in Mount Joy near Davenport. In addition, he served as the Aviation Safety Officer and Instructor Pilot for Detachment 1 of Company F., 106th Aviation.

On Feb. 3, he was mobilized to deploy to Iraq with his National Guard unit, Company F, 106th Aviation, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served initially in Kuwait and was later reassigned to the central Iraq area, where he flew many missions transporting troops and supplies in Iraq.

He was active and volunteered his time to many organizations in the West Liberty and Iowa City area community. He was a member and former president of the Noon Optimist Club in Coralville. His two greatest loves were his family and flying.

His hobbies included turkey and deer hunting, teaching as a black belt in ‘Tae K won Do', coaching West Liberty youth sports and 4-H horse events with his children.

Survivors include his wife; children, Savannah, 15, and Nathan, 12, of West Liberty; two sisters, Carol Buck of Kirkville and Brenda Peter and husband Terry of Coralville; a brother, Brian and wife Barbara of Columbus Junction; his mother-in-law Maxine McWeeny of Omaha, Neb.; brothers-and sisters-in-law, JoAnn and Jay Wand of Des Moines, Ed and Carol McWeeney of Gowrie, Pat Braunger of Iowa City, Helen and John Dowling of Flemington, N.J., Mary Lee and Kelly Clarke of Omaha and Jim McWeeny and Sara Sommerlot of West Des Moines; 16 nieces; and 14 nephews.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents; his parents; his father-in-law, Leo McWeeny; and brother-in-law, Jim Braunger.