Briefing Document: Dale Newton Smith

Subject: Life and Military Service of Dale Newton Smith

Date: October 26, 2023

Sources: Excerpts from "Pasted Text"

Overview:

This document summarizes the key biographical details and the circumstances surrounding the death of Dale Newton Smith, who was born in Iowa in 1916 and died in a military training accident in Texas in 1941. The text traces his early life, education, pre-military employment, and ultimately his enlistment and tragic death during aviation cadet training.

Key Themes and Facts:

Early Life and Family:Birth and Parentage: Dale Newton Smith was born on November 3, 1916, in Anamosa, Iowa to Mary Fredricka Henriksen (born 1897) and Edward Lee Smith (born 1895). His parents were relatively young at the time of his birth, 19 and 21 years old respectively.

Family Dynamics: Census records reveal that his parents divorced sometime between 1920 and 1925. By 1925 and through 1930 he was living with his divorced mother, and a brother, in Marion, Linn County, Iowa. This suggests a significant shift in his family structure during his childhood.

Education and Early Career:Education: He graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in June 1938. This demonstrates that he pursued higher education.

Pre-Military Employment: Prior to his military service, he worked for the Federal Land Bank in Omaha, Nebraska from February 1939 to April 1941. This shows that he established a career in accounting after completing college.

Military Service:Draft Registration: He registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, in Douglas County, Nebraska, for the Linn County, Iowa board, listing his mother, Mary Fredricka Blake, as next of kin (suggesting she had remarried after his parents divorce). He was described as "a single white male born 1916 in Iowa residing in Douglas County, Nebraska working as an accountant with four years of college education." This indicates his status and personal characteristics at the time of registration.

Enlistment: Dale N. Smith enlisted in the US Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet on April 26, 1941, from civilian life in Omaha, Nebraska. He was assigned the service number 17030442.

Fatal Training Accident:Training: Smith was a pilot in the 317th AAF Flight Training Detachment, Pilot Training Class 41-B.

Aircraft and Location: On September 15, 1941, Smith was on a routine training flight in a Vultee BT-13A aircraft (41-9623) out of Curtis Field in McCulloch County, Texas.

Crash: The aircraft crashed and burned twelve miles southwest of Curtis Field, resulting in the instant death of Aviation Cadet Smith.

Fatal Injury: The aviation instructor, AvI Conway, was fatally injured in the crash and later died in the Brady hospital.

Details & Location: Details of the crash were found at the Heart of Texas Museum, implying a preserved historical record of the incident.

Aftermath:Burial: Dale N. Smith's remains were shipped back to Anamosa, Jones County, Iowa, and interred in the Riverside Cemetery. This shows the final repatriation of his body to his home area.

Key Quotes from the Source:

"Dale Newton Smith born 3 November 1916 in Anamosa, Jones County, Iowa."

"Registered for the draft in Douglas County, Nebraska for the Linn County, Iowa board on 16 October 1940, listed his mother, Mary Fredricka Blake, as next of kin."

"Dale N. Smith asn-17030442 a single white male born 1916 in Iowa residing in Douglas County, Nebraska working as an accountant with four years of college education enlisted from civilian life into the US Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet at Omaha, Nebraska on 26 April 1941."

"Aviation Cadet Dale N. Smith ... was in a Vultee BT-13A 41-9623 training aircraft out of Curtis Field, McCulloch County, Texas on 15 September 1941 on a routine training flight...when the plane crashed and burned...killing AvC Smith instantly..."

Conclusion:

The text provides a concise account of Dale Newton Smith's life and his untimely death during military training. His life journey took him from rural Iowa to a career in accounting before his patriotic duty led him to the Air Corps, where he met a tragic end. The detail provided paints a picture of a young man who was moving through stages of life when the tragic accident ended it prematurely.