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thedrifter
11-10-07, 05:56 AM
Veterans Day--Smith, Marines a match made in heaven

By ANNE HASSLER

Sentinel Editor

Archie Smith looks like a kid again in his green MARINES shirt and cap.

“It feels good,” he said of his attire. “It's not my uniform, but it's good.”

Smith is a former Marine who served three years during the Korean conflict from 1954-1957.

“My grandson dressed up as a soldier for Halloween. He would think this is great,” Smith said.

Smith was just a boy himself when he first tried to join the Marines at age 16. The military sent him away until he turned 17.

So on his 17th birthday, he dropped out of school and enlisted. He found the military a better fit for him than high school. He completed basic training at Paris Island, S.C., and served three years in the Marines.

“Archie always says he went in the army as a boy and came out a man,” his wife Margaret said.



“I never went to battle. I spent most of my time stationed in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the infantry. We did a lot of marching through swamps. But, when I got out, I qualified for the G.I. Bill and finished high school and went to college,” Smith said.

After leaving the military, Smith completed high school and attended Campbell College in Buies Creek, N.C., where he studied physical education. He met and married Margaret there before moving to Missouri. He worked for a car dealership, eventually owning his own dealership, Archie's Autos in Liberty, Mo. The couple had two daughters, Glenda and Marla, and lived in Missouri for 43 years.

Glenda, a McPherson Middle School teacher, is now married to Ken Sims and they have two daughters Jennifer, who attends Kansas State, and Jamie, who plays basketball at McPherson College.

Marla Stone is a teacher at McPherson High School and has two children, Carlee and Carson. The Smiths moved to McPherson in 2004 to be closer to their family.

Fifty years after leaving the military, Smith is still proud of his time in the service. He's also proud of the men and women who serve in the military today.

“Someone has to defend our country. War's never a good thing but they're filling a necessary role,” Smith said.

Smith is active in the local American Legion.

Ellie