This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Sheila Rae Myers, HM3
to remember
Smith, Roderic Lee, CAPT.
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Contact Info
Home Town Lincoln, NB
Date of Passing Feb 09, 2000
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Wall/Plot Coordinates 2 E 213 A-1
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Captain Smith's mother died when he was only seven months old. He was raided by his father and his extended family. The time was split between living with his father, who was a Presbyterian minister, and living with his mother's relatives.
Once he graduated high school, he got a job on a survey crew for the Sante Fe Railroad. He thought he would stay with job instead of going to college. A few years later, he did attend college and majored in education. Serving in the ministry was not even on his mind. While in college, he joined the YMCA and he and his friends began talking about doing missionary work. One thing led to another and he finally decided to attend seminary and become a Presbyterian minister like his father.
His career in the Navy is outlined in this profile. After he retired, he returned the Presbyterian church and served in one capacity or another until he was in his early 80s.
Other Comments:
The information contained in this profile was compiled from various internet sources.
Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign (1944)/Battle of Philippine Sea
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War. The battle was the last of five major "carrier-versus-carrier" engagements between American and Japanese naval forces, and pitted elements of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet against ships and aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mobile Fleet and nearby island garrisons.
The aerial part of the battle was nicknamed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot by American aviators for the severely disproportional loss ratio inflicted upon Japanese aircraft by American pilots and anti-aircraft gunners. During a debriefing after the first two air battles a pilot from USS Lexington remarked "Why, hell, it was just like an old-time turkey shoot down home!" The outcome is generally attributed to American improvements in pilot and crew training and tactics, technology (including the top-secret anti-aircraft proximity fuze), and ship and aircraft design. Although at the time the battle appeared to be a missed opportunity to destroy the Japanese fleet, the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost the bulk of its carrier air strength and would never recover. During the course of the battle, American submarines torpedoed and sank two of the largest Japanese fleet carriers taking part in the battle.
This was the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history.