Jacques Brewster Smith was born in September 1923, in Buffalo [Annotator's Note: Buffalo, New York]. Due to the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945], his family moved within the city every two to three years because his father was always looking for work. They never had a problem finding a place to rent because owners of rentals could not find enough people to rent out their units to. They often charged 15 to 30 dollars per month for rent. Most people got paid 25 dollars per week. People managed to get by. His father worked any job he could find and ended up working for Republic Steel [Annotator's Note: in Buffalo, New York] by the conclusion of World War 2. He worked at Texaco Gas [Annotator's Note: Texaco Inc.; a Chevron Corporation] as well. Smith attended Kensington High School before the war started. The day war began, he thought about volunteering, but he was too young, and the military would not take him. After he turned 18, he decided to register for the draft. He reported to an induction center in update New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York]. He stayed for a day and one half while he received a physical, immunizations, and uniform. While there, he was asked if he wanted to volunteer to be a paratrooper. He waited an additional two weeks so the Army could gather enough men, and then he boarded a train that took him to Toccoa, Georgia. The would-be actor and creator of "Twilight Zone" [Annotator's Note: "The Twilight Zone"; American television series, created by Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling; American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and narrator; 1959 to 1964] had also volunteered for the paratroopers. They trained together and became friends. Another guy that boarded the same train was wounded in Manila [Annotator's Note: Manila, Philippines] and was sent to a hospital. He died a few years later. Basic training was very rigorous. He then took an additional 13 weeks of parachute training at Camp Mackall [Annotator's Note: Camp Mackall, North Carolina] from January to June 1942. He then had to complete jump school to receive his wings. It took about a month to get a whole regiment through jump school. It would take about one week for a battalion to complete jump school. Jump school was very intense because his instructors were former paratroopers. They ran the program with an iron fist. It did not matter what your rank was, everyone had to follow orders from their instructors. Once, an instructor reprimanded a Major for leaning against a pole. The Major was forced to do pushups and run around a shed holding a parachute pack above his head, while reciting a rhyme. The instructors were trying to teach the trainees discipline.

Jump school training was intense for Jacques Brewster Smith. He did a lot of running and swinging exercise. He was lifted up by a harness from a 250 foot tower and then released, so he could get the feeling of falling with a parachute. He had to land properly or potentially get injured. Twenty jumpers were strapped with two parachutes, and one emergency one, then boarded a C-47 [Annotator's Note: Douglas C-47 Skytrain cargo aircraft] that would take them to their target area. There was a metal cord on the inside of the plane. When they got near their target area, all the jumpers would stand up, line up, and attach themselves to the metal cord with a closed hook. Then they were ordered to check the person behind them and the person ahead of them. They did this to make sure everyone had their equipment secured. When the red light in the plane turned green, it was the signal from the pilot that it was safe to jump. The jump master would double check the ground. The jump master was the first to jump out of the plane, then everyone else jumped three seconds after each other. The goal was for all the jumpers to land in the same area to make a fighting unit on the ground. After making five successful jumps during training, Smith was qualified and received his wings. Smith stayed at Fort Benning [Annotator's Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] for an additional week to attend a few more specialized classes. The washout rate for jump school was very high because the instructors required a lot of discipline from the trainees, mostly due to safety reasons but also because it cost 10,000 dollars per soldier to complete jump school. Smith had another seven weeks to earn his boots as a paratrooper with intensified ground training. He was trained to use a machine gun, a BAR [Annotator's Note: Browning Automatic Rifle], bazooka [Annotator's Note: shoulder fired, 2.36-inch anti-tank rocket], and artillery training. The Army wanted their paratroopers to be proficient in every weapon they had. After the completion of training, he and his company were sent to Louisiana [Annotator's Note: to Camp Polk, now Fort Polk, in Vernon Parish, Louisiana] to wait for overseas deployment. This was during wintertime 1943. It was the first time he ever saw rain turn into ice. He was not allowed to go on furlough [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] but was given KP [Annotator's Note: kitchen patrol or kitchen police] duty. He and a few other friends snuck out of camp and drove to New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] for a half a day. After a month in Louisiana, Smith and his unit boarded a train and headed North. When the train arrived in Chicago [Annotator's Note: Chicago, Illinois], it took a turn toward the West Coast. Smith knew he would be fighting in the Pacific. He disembarked from the train in San Francisco [Annotator's Note: San Francisco, California] and was sent to Camp Stoneman [Annotator's Note: in Pittsburg, California] for some extra training before heading overseas. They went on a forced run. His company broke every physical fitness record they had been given. Smith's company was in great shape. His best friend had lost over 30 pounds from the start of boot camp training.

Jacques Brewster Smith [Annotator's Note: with the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division] boarded a C3 class ship [Annotator's Note: the SS Sea Pike] which could speed up to 30 knots. Their ship traveled unaccompanied because it was capable of outrunning enemy submarines and other enemy ships. The ship could cover 400 miles in 24 hours. They traveled in a zig-zag pattern [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] for 26 days all the way to New Guinea. The crew fed over 3,000 people twice per day on the voyage. Because the ship was crowded, Smith preferred to sleep on the deck. He spotted ships in the water, but it was never an enemy vessel. He disembarked 100 miles from the fighting on New Guinea. The 503rd Parachute Infantry was called a "bastard outfit" because they were unattached to any infantry and were the first to do parachute duty. They were used against the Japanese on New Guinea. When Smith first laid his eyes on some of the 503rd paratroopers, he could not believe how filthy and unclean they looked. His regiment, on the other hand, was scrubbed, clean shaven, and fresh uniform. The 503rd and the Australians had lots of skirmishes with the Japanese on New Guinea. Before his company [Annotator's Note: Company B, 2nd Battalion, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division] got on the island, Allies had worked on clearing the jungle terrain, leveled it, and made a landing strip. The strip was made of metal. While he was on New Guinea, he continued to practice parachute jumping. They required him to make practice jumps as much as possible. He also trained in the jungle and other physical fitness. He was considered in the combat zone, so he received combat pay. Other than seeing the Japanese a few times, he did not encounter any fighting with them while in New Guinea. The Japanese lost a lot of soldiers on New Guinea due to the steep terrain. The Japanese were tough soldiers but being in that kind of terrain for a long period of time with a limited amount of food was very rough on them. He cannot recall how long they were at New Guinea, but he remembers that he was on Leyte [Annotator's Note: Leyte, Philippines] for a month and a half.

Jacques Brewster Smith remembers the island of Leyte [Annotator's Note: Leyte, Philippines] being all jungle and mountains. An infantry division landed on the island and tried to take it. They were successful taking the beach, but as soon as they hit the jungle, the Japanese attacked them. The division fought in numerous attacks but could not successfully drive the Japanese back, so another unit had to go. When Smith came onto the island, his unit [Annotator's Note: Company B, 2nd Battalion, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division] was well trained in weaponry and was able to overtake the Japanese rather quickly. His unit had better weaponry and ammunition than the Japanese. Once he was able to get used to the terrain of the jungle, he was able to be a successful soldier. The goal of his unit was to go from one side of the island to the other, like cutting it in half, which they ultimately succeeded in. On Christmas Day 1944, it stopped raining for the first time. His unit just reached a crest of a hill and began the descent down. It was the first time he saw the sun during the campaign. The initial fighting in the rainforest was sporadic, lasting only maybe five to 30 minutes at a time. Smith and his unit started on the beach and moved forward into the rain forest. The Japanese were often dug in, so they were able to move around them easily to where the Japanese were behind them. His unit used mortars to make the Japanese run from their positions. During the night, the Japanese would often harass them by yelling at them or throwing fire into their area. It rained everyday while he was there. The Japanese equipment was not massed produced and therefore was all a little different. The Japanese mortars were not as effective as the Americans. A good mortar man could hit his target in about three shots. The machine guns were very effective as well. A Japanese officer is considered a god to his soldiers, and when the officer gives an order, the soldier will comply without an argument. If a soldier causes trouble, the officer will likely shoot him or club him to death. When a unit of Japanese charge an area, a machine gun would easily gun them down. They often attacked late at night or early morning. He thinks they were smart. [Annotator's Note: There is a break in the video at 1:03:03.000.]

Jacques Brewster Smith says Elmer Fryar [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] was the company [Annotator's Note: Company B, 2nd Battalion, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division] barber. He was 28 years old and volunteered for airborne duty. He was assigned as a barber and a rifleman. During combat, a soldier carrying a 30 pound radio battery was hit. Smith saw Fryar run to the man and put a bandage on his face, then grab him by the back of his uniform, and drag him out of harm's way. In the meantime, Smith shot at the movement in the jungle to keep the enemy at bay. He went through a clip of ammunition. Elmer got hit, but it did not stop him from moving through. He was eventually able to bring the sergeant to safety. Elmer then jumped back into full combat and Smith never saw him again. He heard shots being fired at him, so he retreated with the rest of his unit. They found a new position to hold. Smith always used an M1 rifle [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand], and on occasion would use the machine gun. He used a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] a couple of times but did not like it because it was not accurate. It was hard to know how far they advanced because maps of the island were very primitive. The terrain was always up and down and never constant, which made it difficult to move through. He often used machetes to hack through the greenery in the jungle. They would get supplies through aerial resupply. Taylor Cub planes [Annotator's Note: Piper J-3 Cub light observation aircraft] would fly over and drop 40 pound boxes of supplies. A couple of soldiers were killed because the boxes fell on them. Smith went at least a week without food and was eating grubs and weeds. The rations had to be divided between three men. Many of the soldiers were starving, and most of them lost 30 pounds during the campaign [Annotator's Note: Battle of Leyte, 17 October to 26 December 1944, Leyte, Philippines]. Because it was raining all the time, Smith slipped and fell all the time. The heaviest weapon they could carry was an M1 rifle, machine guns, and some mortars at these times. Many of the Japanese would rather die than be a POW [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war]. On one occasion, he wounded two Japanese just as it was getting dark. One of the prisoners howled all night. They eventually found him in the morning. They dragged him back, searched him, and interrogated him. Since the Japanese was not being cooperative, they shot him. If anyone needed medical attention, they would be sent to the inside of the perimeter of the island where doctors were stationed. They always had one or two medics per company. Smith was on Leyte for a month and a half. Many of the men in his company had jungle ulcers on their feet. The saltwater felt good on the wounds. After a month they were expected to go back into combat.

Jacques Brewster Smith and his unit [Annotator's Note: Company B, 2nd Battalion, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division] were relieved from their duties [Annotator's Note: on Leyte, Philippines] on Christmas Day 1944. They were taken to be patched up and then prepare for their next campaign in Luzon [Annotator's Note: Battle of Luzon; 9 January to 15 August 1945; Luzon, Philippines]. Smith received a Christmas meal, but soon after threw it up because his stomach could not handle it. In February 1945, he and his unit made a jump into Luzon. By the time he made the jump, Smith gained ten pounds back. His unit was assigned only nine planes. [Annotator's Note: There is a break in the video at 1:28:36.000.] His unit was on the first jump. The planes were flying faster than they normally should as the pilots were worried about enemy planes. When the plane speeds up, the airborne men tend to have bigger gaps between each other when they land. Also, the wind is stronger and it takes more effort to jump out safely. Smith was the fourth man out on the jump. He had to push the man in front of him out of the plane because the wind was so strong. On his jump, he injured his leg. As soon as he hit the ground, he knew he was in trouble because he could see his knee was already swollen. He quickly assembled his gun, then gave himself some morphine from the medical kit he carried with him. In five minutes, he had no pain and was "high as a kite." An officer came by and helped him to his feet, and they walked three miles to an aid station. The rest of his company headed to Manila [Annotator's Note: Manila, Luzon, Philippines].

Jacques Brewster Smith's company commander [Annotator's Note: of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division] came by to visit him [Annotator's Note: while he was in the hospital healing from a knee injury] and asked him if he could come back to the company because they were in desperate need of men. Smith returned to combat. He lived with knee pain for most of his life and eventually got a knee replacement. Smith experienced serious fighting in Manila [Annotator's Note: Manila, Luzon, Philippines]. It was not jungle fighting, but city fighting. Japanese had a 90mm gun [Annotator's Note: unable to identify] that caused a lot of carnage as they fought through the city. Smith did not have to walk on extended walks, but he did walk through the city and fought between buildings. They received lots of air support, while the Japanese air support was nowhere to be found. The Japanese soldiers were very tough. Smith's unit was often sent to rest stops and then was put back into skirmishes after a day or so. His last skirmish was on 22 April 1945. He was in hilly terrain and assisted with the machine gun. His squad leader took control of the machine gun, but before he could let off one round, he was shot in the chest and died immediately. Another soldier with Smith picked up the machine gun and attempted to fire the weapon, but the enemy fire was so strong that he could not. They decided to clear the area. They grabbed their weapons and took off in a zig-zag run. Later, Smith returned to the area with a medic, and they dragged back the squad leader. Eventually his platoon got some support and he was relieved. Smith learned that they lost almost a whole platoon that day. To this day, Smith does not understand why his unit was put in this dangerous situation. They should have been on the defense and not trying to attack the enemy. Smith received a Bronze Star [Annotator's Note: the Bronze Star Medal is the fourth-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy] for his efforts in Manila. On another occasion, Smith was set up near a lake, and heard word that Japanese were heading in his direction. He dug a hole next to a Japanese machine gun. At the crack of dawn, they heard the Japanese coming through and he began firing. By the time his unit was done shooting, they had killed over 80 Japanese. [Annotator's Note: The video stops mid-sentence.]