Notes from Richard Smith:
Jack worked for many years with Wheeling Steel Corporation and later as a heavy equipment operator. He served in WWII, 3rd U.S. Army, 79th Infantry Division, 313th Field Artillery, BN Battery C, military number 15078494, and was part of the Battle of the Bulge in the drive through Belgium into Germany. He received the Purple Heart and the Presidential Citation for valor in those battles. Jack loved to be outdoors. He preferred to hunt, fish, and just be with nature than to mingle in a large city. He was most fond of his dogs and treated them with as much love as his children. He was the Post Commander for the VFW in Wellsburg, WV, and active in the Masons. In August of 2000, I wrote to the National Archives and Records Administration requesting his army records. They sent me a certification of military service from July 16, 1942 to August 16, 1945. His last rank was Private First Class and his military number was 15078494. The letter said that On July 12, 1973 they had suffered from a fire and many of the records were lost. My father's were part of those records.1836

Obituary from Richard Smith:
“Smith, Jack E., 67 of RD 1, Wellsburg, died Friday in Weirton Medical Center. He was a retired employee of Wheeling Local 132 Operators and Engineers, and a member of Wellsburg United Methodist Church. He was an Army veteran of World War II. Surviving are his wife, Mary Shaffer Shimp Smith; one son, Richard Smith of Frankfurt, Germany; and one daughter, Jackie Lou Wren of Wheeling; a brother, William Smith of Windsor Heights; three sisters, June Johnson, Reva Diserio and Margaret Robinson, all of Wellsburg; two grandchildren. Friends received at Chambers Funeral Home, Wellsburg, noon - 2 and 7 - 9 p.m. Sunday. Arrangements are incomplete.”1836