MM 2/c, Harry Eugene "Smitty" Smith, USN.
At 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was assigned duty on the USS Ralph Talbot DD-390, where he obtained the rank of machinist mate second class (MM2). The destroyer was assigned to the Pacific Theater and engaged in several major battles in WWII in the South Pacific, including Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and the Battle of Midway on June 3, 1942. He was awarded seven battle stars; the American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal and the Navy Good Conduct Medal. He returned to civilian life in 1945 and joined the City of Pueblo Fire Department, where he retired as captain after 32 years of service.
Due to his early enlistment to serve his country in 1940, School District 60 presented him with an honorary diploma from Central High School in 2003.
