Arkansas WWII veteran set to celebrate 100th birthday
KB Smith served aboard the USS Satterlee and fired the first shots before the invasion, is the last surviving member of his crew.
BELLA VISTA, Ark. — Kenneth B. Smith, a Bella Vista man known to most as KB, is not just turning 100 years old, he’s also embarking on a journey back to France to honor his role in one of the most pivotal moments of World War II — the D-Day invasion.
KB’s journey began when he was just 17 years old, when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
“Came home from high school and asked my folks, told them I wanted to join the Navy, and they were a little shook up, but I had to have a signature when I was 17
He went on to serve aboard the battleship USS Satterlee, where his ship fired the first shots before the Normandy Invasion. Their mission was to provide cover fire for Army Rangers scaling the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, a crucial mission to disable a German artillery position.
“July 1, 1943, we boarded the USS Satterlee and one of the members of our of that group was Henry Fonda,” Smith said.
“That was something I’ll always remember that Rangers going up the cliffs hand over hand, and one would get shot, another one to grab the rope and go up,” said Smith.
This year marks a special trip for KB. On May 31, he will fly to France to commemorate the 81st anniversary of D-Day. He’ll leave at 99 years old and land on French soil as 100 years old.
“It’s quite an honor,” KB said reflecting on the recognition from the French government and the significance of his upcoming trip.
He is the last surviving member of the 276-man crew of the ship that played a crucial role in the Normandy invasion. Over the past three years, KB has returned to France to remember the sacrifices made on that fateful day. As the years pass, he reflects on the growing challenge of finding familiar faces, as the number of surviving WWII veterans continues to dwindle.
“It’s kind of strange when you get back over there. I always look for somebody familiar, but it’s a little tougher to find every year,” he said.
The Bella Vista Patriots are organizing a celebration in KB’s honor ahead of his departure. On Tuesday, May 13, friends, family, and fellow veterans gathered at the Elks Lodge in Rogers for a surprise birthday party. The room was filled with cheers and applause as the Bella Vista community rallied to celebrate KB’s life and legacy.
“This celebration is more than just a milestone,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jim Parsons, chairman of the Bella Vista Patriots “It’s a tribute to a generation that’s fading from memory. We wanted to honor him tonight and tell his story while we still can.”
Even as he approaches 100, KB attributes his longevity to the people around him, particularly his wife, who cared for him for many years and passed away last year.
“A good wife now, she took real good care of me,” he said with a smile.
In addition, KB credits much of his resilience to the Navy, which instilled habits that have lasted a lifetime.
“I picked up a lot of good habits in the Navy, and still to this day, I still make my bed first thing in the morning,” he added.