Community Corner
Photos: Hampton Bays Schools Remember 9/11; Honor Veteran
Francis "Smitty" Smith was recognized for his service to the country on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the Hampton Bays School District held a ceremony to mark the 12th anniversary of September 11, but to also honor a local veteran, Francis "Smitty" Smith, as part of its ongoing veteran's appreciation program.
During the ceremony, held at the Hampton Bays Middle School, fourth-grade students read excerpts from Smith's biography and essays and poems about 9/11. They also performed the song, "Americans We."
Smith, who graduated Hampton Bays High School in 1941, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who earned a Purple Heart for his service at Guadalcanal, where he was wounded five times. The also fought at Bougainville, Guam and Okinawa and was a member of the Occupational Force.
He was honorably discharged in 1946. he and his wife Sylvia, who is also a Hampton Bays graduate, still live in the hamlet. They have three children, David, Sharon and Sylvia.
"Thank you to these local heroes. Smitty, a 1941 Hampton Bays graduate, is truly the best that Hampton Bays can hope for."
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