Jacob Smith named winner of “My American Veteran Hero” essay contest


Winner of “My American Veteran Hero” essay contest ... Jacob Smith, son of Rev. Duane and Cristina Smith of Waukon, was awarded first place in the “My American Veteran Hero” essay contest recently sponsored by the Midwest Veterans of America. Smith, who just completed his junior year at Waukon High School, is pictured in the center of the photo above with Jerry Halverson (left) of Midwest Veterans of America and Dale Sweet of the Lil’ Dale show on KNEI Radio, where the contest winners were announced. Submitted photo.

WWI Veteran Army Cpl. George Thompson... U.S. Army Corporal George K. Thompson (at left) is the subject of his great-grandson Jacob Smith’s winning entry in the “My American Veteran Hero” essay contest sponsored by Midwest Veterans of America. Submitted photo.

Waukon High School junior Jacob Smith was awarded First Place in the “My American Veteran Hero” essay contest recently sponsored by Midwest Veterans of America. The contest was open to high school students, freshmen through seniors, and the essays were judged on how well the entrant understands, develops and presents the theme, which should be a positive representation of the veteran hero being written about.

Smith, the son of Rev. Duane and Cristina Smith of Waukon, was announced as the winner Saturday, May 21 during the Lil’ Dale Show on KNEI Radio. He was award the First Place prize of $100 and a plaque commemorating his contest victory. Also announced were the second-place entry and winner of $75 written by Dekota Bechtel of Monona, and the third-place entry and winner of $50 written by Jeff Yaun of Green Bay, WI.

The subject of Smith’s winning essay was his great-grandfather, Corporal George K. Thompson, who served in the U.S. Army during WWI. He derived his information from a cassette tape recorded by his great-grandfather that was later digitalized into an MP3 file. Smith’s winning essay appears below in its entirety.
 

“The Farm Boy Hero”
by Jacob Smith
My American Veteran Hero Essay Contest
First-Place Winner

Boom! A bombshell lands right next to Corporal George Thompson! Knowing that death was imminent, he shut his eyes and waited for the explosion. Nothing happened!
He praised the Lord God, Almighty for what could have been his final moment! God had spared George’s life - for one day after the war, he would marry and raise nine children on a simple farm in Long Prairie, MN.
Great-Grandpa George, who loved adventure, was raised on a small farm. Grandpa was a good man who loved the Lord and would not tolerate evil. He showed great integrity throughout his life with a tremendous sense of gentle humor. He was further described as having a tender heart and sparkling, blue eyes.
On April 25, 1918, Grandpa was recruited by the US Army and moved to Camp Dodge at 27 years old. After spending 3 weeks at Camp Dodge, IA, Grandpa was shipped out to another camp in Texas for 2 weeks. During these times Grandpa would often get homesick, but he kept telling himself, “You’re in it now, you might as well pull yourself together.”
In 1918, Grandpa was shipped out on a small African cattle boat to Ellis Island; the voyage took around 3 to 4 days. Along the way, the crew was caught up in a large and destructive storm the first 3 days of the voyage. Grandpa, despite his weaker stomach, held out for 3 days until finally, he had enough: “I leaned over the rail and let the fish have it!”
Grandpa did not stay on Ellis Island for long as he was soon shipped out to England. When Grandpa and the rest of the crew arrived in Europe, everybody had to look out for the dangerous German U-boats. After 2 weeks, the crew docked in Liverpool, England, and later shipped out to South Hampton, England. The crew did not stay in England for long as they were relocated to the port of Le Havre, France. Grandpa then received intensive training in another part of France known as Eze. They all grew quite ill with a mysterious flu, which later was identified as the, “Spanish Flu.”
Grandpa was placed into the intelligence section where he served as a scout, sniper, and as an observer, but soon was put into the front lines alongside other soldiers on August 12, 1918. Grandpa served in the 90th infantry division which consisted mainly of soldiers from Oklahoma and Texas.
On the 11th of September 1918, the French and US forces were preparing for a massive fight against the Germans. Everyone was sure that this battle would be catastrophic for all sides involved. Tensions were rising, and the troops - including Grandpa - were growing anxious about the coming battle. No matter what the assault the allied forces were planning, my Grandpa was ready for it. Grandpa’s craving for adventure kept him anxious all day and all night. The other troops were growing nervous about the inevitable battle, some wondered if they would die, some wondered if they would ever see their families again.
Then on September 12th, 1918, the great battle of the Saint-Mihiel Salient was launched by the order of General Patton. The Allied forces fought hard against the Germans who were poorly prepared with little artillery. Biplanes soared ahead attacking the enemy once the US Army figured out how to time firing through the propellers. This gave the Americans a great advantage and marked the first major use of the US Army Air Service (the precursor to the US Air Force). With the allies pushing back the Germans with ease, General Patton gave the order to move faster and destroy the enemy quicker. Grandpa, being part of the infantry, charged in with the rest.
Grandpa despised the thought of intentionally harming others, even in war, so when he needed to fire at the enemy, he aimed his gun, closed his eyes, and then shot. Grandpa did not want to know if he had killed anyone. After Grandpa and his fellow troops were commanded to charge at the enemy, a bomb was shot into the air, and he looked up. The bomb was coming right at him! Knowing that death was inevitable, Grandpa just waited for the bomb to explode on top of him. When the bomb landed, Grandpa was expecting a loud boom, but nothing happened. The bomb was a dud! When Grandpa realized that it was a dud, he was so relieved, but quickly got back to fighting.
As a Corporal, Grandpa led 8 men under his command into battle using the perfectly balanced gun known as the “M1903 Springfield.” As the American troops were advancing, large tanks were progressing at a painfully slow pace toward the enemy. Grandpa described the tanks as “small and ineffective.” Even though the Americans were winning, everyone – including my Grandpa – had to be prepared for German attacks, like gas attacks. No one dared to fight without a gas mask handy!
Towards the end of the Great War, Grandpa was on the front lines in the fox holes. He had been there for weeks, with only one change of clothes. The war had ceased, but no one had told them! All they were told was not to shoot. When they finally were informed the war was over, they stood up and hugged each other and danced around in the fox holes with great joy! The armistice had been signed!
Grandpa was discharged from the military when he returned to Camp Dodge, IA. He returned to his home and started a family with his wife, Lillian, who stated that Grandpa had “shot the arrow in my heart.” They raised nine beautiful children on the ol’ Farm in Long Prairie, MN and he lived a long life until 94 years of life. Grandpa was a hero in every aspect of his life.
Great-Grandpa is my hero because throughout everything – including the trials and horrors of war – he remained faithful to God and retained his great moral compass. Even though Grandpa went through one of the worst wars in history, he kept his great sense of humor and intolerance of evil. I look up to him as the single best example of a good man, next to my dad.
Dwight Eisenhower said, “In order to be a leader, a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence, the supreme quality for a leader is, unquestionably, integrity. Without it, no success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Grandpa had all these character traits, and I greatly look up to him and am blessed to be his descendant.