Kenneth Joseph Smith was born in Salina, KS in 1924, the fifth child of John I. and Anna M. Smith. He attended elementary school in Monument, KS, where his parents lived on a farm at that time. In Jan 1944 he was drafted into the Navy and sent to boot camp at Farragut, Idaho. He then went to basic engineering and diesel school at Gulfport, MS and Amphibious training at Norfolk, VA. His ship's crew was formed at Norfolk and sent to Hingham, MA to pick up their new ship, the USS LST 944, at the shipyard. It was then on to the Pacific to take part in the battles for Iwo Jima and Okinawa. While returning to Saipan after three trips to Okinawa, the Japanese surrendered and the 944 was sent back to San Diego. There it was to be decommissioned since it was no longer seaworthy after being in the typhoon at Okinawa. For a short time while waiting for points to be discharged, Kenneth became part of the USS Amycus (ARL-2) crew. On May 10, 1946, he was discharged and returned to the farm south of Monument. On Nov 12, 1947, he married Louise (Stoecker) Smith. They have one son, Bernard and wife Mary, who live at Hutchinson, KS.