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<em>Matthew Comerford Smith</em> was proud of his Army background and military heritage. His maternal grandfather, Abner Pickering, Class of 1878, was commandant of the Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz at the time of the San Francisco Earthquake in 1906. His father, Mathew Charles Smith, Class of 1893, served more than 40 years in the Cavalry and was serving on the Mexican border at the time Matt was born in Del Rio, TX, on 26 Mar 1915. His Mother, Yeteve Pickering Smith, mother of four, was the personification of the adaptable Army wife.</p>
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As a youth, the only thing Matt ever wanted to do was to go to West Point. In the spring of 1935, he was fortunate enough to rank first on the competitive examination he took at the main post office in downtown Los Angeles. Previously, he had studied at the University of Oregon for two years after graduating from U.S. Grant High School in Portland, OR.</p>
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Matt’s dream of going to West Point materialized, and he graduated in 1939. He then began a 30-year career in the Infantry, which he greatly enjoyed. He especially liked serving in the 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. He was proud to be a Blue Spader, and the camaraderie associated with this group meant a great deal to him. In World War II, Matt participated in the landings and operations in North Africa as S-3 (operations officer) of the 26th Infantry Regiment until he was captured at Kasserine Pass on 19 Feb 1943. His awards included the Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the 1st Infantry Division Citation (1942).</p>
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Matt spent 27 months in a German POW camp, OFLAG 64, in Schubin, Poland. In addition to the boredom and hardship of cap­tivity, there was a shortage of food. He said that the POW’s would have starved if it had not been for the Red Cross food parcels.</p>
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After the war, from 1945 to 1948, Matt worked at the Pentagon in the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army. His next assignment was to West Point, where he taught Modern European History in the Department of Social Sciences from 1948 to 1951. While on the faculty, he attended two summer sessions at Harvard University and earned a master’s degree in history from the graduate school there. Later in his career, he attended the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA.</p>
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Further assignments included various staff and command positions at HAFSE, Naples; 26th Infantry Regiment, Bamberg, Germany and Ft. Riley, KS; in Korea; as Chief, Combined Arms Committee, and Adv. Study Gp, Department of Combat Developments, Ft. Leavenworth, KS; and as G-1, Seventh Army Headquarters, Stuttgart, Germany, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel at the Presidio of San Francisco.</p>
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After retiring from the Army, Matt worked for ten years for the Bank of America, San Rafael, CA, in the Trust Department. He played golf at the Presidio Golf Club, and was also active in Branch 47 of the Sons in Retirement (SIRS), the Harvard Club of San Francisco, and the Bank of America Retirees. He also liked to travel and especially to river raft. He rafted down five of the major rivers in the Western United States. Matt was also an avid reader, and he especially enjoyed reading U.S. history books and novels.</p>
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Matt was a very likable person. His good nature and sense of humor endeared him to his many friends. He put respect for others very high on his list of important qualities. Many people admired and respected him as a person of honesty, integrity and honor. He was an interesting person to talk to because he read a lot, and in conversation he usually knew what he was talking about. Matt loved to play golf and found a foursome wherever he was stationed. One of his happiest mo­ments was a hole-in-one he made at the Ft. Leavenworth golf course.</p>
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Matt was 40 and a very eligible bachelor when he married “Bel,” Isabelle Sinclair Rising, an Army brat whose brother, Harry N. Rising, Jr., Class of 1941, introduced them. Their mutual goals in life and inter­ests allowed them to have 46 happy years together. They were blessed to have a very special daughter, Lisa Sinclair, who has had the ability and spiritual guidance to find homes in the United States for more than 750 Russian orphans.</p>
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On 17 Sep 2001, Matt died of Lou Gehrig’s Disease in Kentfield, CA. On 24 Oct 2001, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Someone once said that Matt was the epitome of an officer and a gentleman, and besides that he was such a nice guy. His love for West Point and Duty, Honor, Country lasted all his life.</p>
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<em>—His wife, Isabelle Rising Smith</em></p>