Re: Background
Publicly Available information
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Edmund Kirby Smith Biography
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News Results for ‘Edmund Kirby Smith’
General Smith Retires – St. Petersburg Times April, 17th, 2000
Ranger Awarded Silver Star – “The Bayonet” June 28th 2010
---Articles---
General Smith Retires – St. Petersburg Times April, 17th, 2000
MACDILL AFB – After 41 years of service General Edmund Kirby Smith II retired from the Army and handed over his command of the United States Special Operations Command to Admiral Sebastian Wallace, USN.
Child of a General Officer himself, General Smith comes from a long family tradition of Army service. His own Grandfather, Jackson Edmund Smith, fought with Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba. His great grandfather, Willard Kirby Smith, served as a page to the more famous Confederate General Smith in the Civil War and later rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel in the US Army.
Most of General Smith’s career has been spent in the special forces and is therefore classified. What’s known is that he saw service in Vietnam, Desert Shield/Storm, and also led or took part in operations in North Africa, as well as South and Central America. The retiring General achieved some acclaim for successfully leading Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 as a Colonel.
The General and Mrs. Smith are retiring to Lexington VA to be closer to their Grandson who is expected to begin studies at Virginia Military Institute this fall. The young Smith with be the 5th generation of Smith’s to attend the prestigious school.
Ranger Awarded Silver Star – “The Bayonet” June 28th 2010
BAGRAM AIRBASE, AFGANASTAN – Today, while completing a tour of bases here and in Iraq, Army Chief of Staff Casey bestowed the Silver Star on a fellow Ranger, Captain E. Kirby Smith. It was a subdued ceremony held within the 75th Regiment, 1st Battalion Headquarters here. Cpt. Smith, Dog Company Commander, was cited for conspicuous gallantry during Operation Moshtarak. While being transported to the rendezvous point their Chinook helicopter came under enemy fire. According to the citation Captain Smith “fearlessly took control of the aircraft, averting disaster, and brought the wounded helicopter safely to the ground”. The Company Commander, in true Ranger fashion, led the detachment from the point as they fought their way over-land from the crash site to link up with the rest of the company.
In today’s ceremony General Casey mentioned that “of the thirty-six men on board the helicopter four, among them the Pilot and Co-pilot, lost their lives.” And that had “Captain Kirby” not acted as he did “there is no doubt that all souls would have been lost.” Captain Smith declined to comment during the ceremony.
Background Information (non-public)
Lineage
Military Service of the Smith's
Wendell Jackson Smith
July 2nd 1829 - September 17th 1862
Attended the “Military Academy of South Carolina, (now: The Citadel) and served as a Captain in Confederate Army. Brother of General Edmund Kirby Smith– died at the Battle of Antietam
Willard Kirby Smith
March 23rd 1854 – January 12th 1934
After the death of his father Willard served as a page and banner carrier for General Smith, his Uncle, in the confederate army. Attended the US Military Academy after the war and served in the US Army. He rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel and served in the Spanish American War; he commanded the Army component under Commodore Dewey in the Philippines.
Jackson Edmund Smith
September 21st 1879 – March 20th 1971
At 19 fought with Teddy Roosevelt as a “Rough Rider” in the Battle of San Juan and Kettle Hill. He later attended VMI on scholarship and eventually achieved the rank of Colonel, US Army after servicing in the first World War.
Edmund Kirby Smith
January 7th 1911 – November 18th 2002
Graduated VMI 1933 – Served in WWII as an officer under Patton, Major and Colonel During Korea, Retired Lt. General (3 stars) in 1975 at end of the Vietnam conflict
Edmund Kirby Smith II
June 10th 1937 to present
Graduated from VMI in 1959 – Colonel in Vietnam, Retired from the Army in 2000 at the rank of General (4 stars)
- married Beverly Anne Strickland (1941 to present)
Edmund Kirby Smith III
January 28th 1956 - October 26th 1983
Graduated 1st in his class at VMI in 1978. Died in combat in Grenada and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism and bravery beyond the call of duty. Served as a 1st Lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division.
- married Laura Kanhai (December 2nd, 1960 - November 3rd, 1989)
Edmund Kirby Smith IV
Born October 29th 1983 just days after his father was killed in action during Operation Urgent Fury, the Invasion of Grenada.
Kanhai Family:
Grandfather: John Kanhai, Born September 17th 1939 in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana. He is the Son of Prashanta Kanhai and Anisha Kanhai (Patel).
Grandmother: Elizabeth Elise Alnwick Grey, Born in Edinburgh Scotland, February 11th 1941. She is the Daughter of Sur Ralph Francis Alnwick Grey (Governor, British Guiana 12/22/58 – 3/7/1964 he was later Governor of Bahamas and eventually the last Governor of Northern Ireland)
Elizabeth and John met in 1959 shortly after she arrived in Guyana (British Guiana at the time). They met at a welcome reception for the new Governor, Elizabeth’s father, and hit it off instantly. The two were married in January 1960, just a year after they met, and have seldom been apart since. Elizabeth is called Eh-eh (a Guyanese reference to her first two initials) by just about everyone. John is called JonKae.
To Kirby: Grandma Eh-eh and Popi JonKae
Additional Family Backstory
Kirby's Life:
In 1979 Eddie (aka. Edmund III) was sent to Guyana in South America to aide in the post-Jonestown investigation that the US was conducting covertly. In the course of his time there he eventually met and fell in love with Laura Kanhai, the only child of successful landholders John and Elizabeth Kanhai. In 1983 the two married, something her parents would only learn much later. Shortly after their marriage Eddie was re-assigned to help with the planning of Operation Urgent Fury. He did not know that Laura was pregnant.
Edmund Kirby Smith IV (Kirby) was born to his mother and raised for much of his youth on the Kanhai Jandi in Guyana. Sometime in 1989, when he was 6, Laura Kanhai (nae Smith) succumbed to a brief and heavy case of yellow fever. On her deathbed she explained to her parents how she had come to marry Eddie and how she learned of his death some months after Kirby was born.
For the next few years John and Elizabeth Kanhai raised Kirby together there on the Plantation. Kirby attended the best schools available and spent much of his free time playing cricket on the youth team in New Haven.
When Kirby was approaching 12 his grandparents started noticing changes in the youth. These were not the normal changes of a youth to a man, these were things of a different sort. Kirby could see further than anyone else his age, and his pitching arm on the cricket pitch was much stronger than many adults. It was at this time that John Kanhai decided seek out Kirby’s paternal family in the US.
...
In 1995 General Edmund K. Smith USA received a call from the US Embassy in Guyana that he was to remember for the rest of his life. The man on the other end, the Ambassador himself, told him that he should find a reason to visit the beautiful country soon – and that all would be explained when he arrived. The general had certainly had his share of mystery over the course of his career but he had never, not even once, known and Ambassador to place a call to him himself. Ambassadors, and general’s frankly, used their assistants and aides to do that sort of thing. But for some reason this particular Ambassador had wanted no one else to know about the call. It intrigued the General enough to act.
And so, a few months later, the General found himself at the dinner table with a plantation owner, an ambassador, and a boy that was unmistakably and undeniably his kin.
...
Soon thereafter General Smith brought the boy to the US and completed the process of getting his US Citizenship established – his father being a Medal of Honor winner made the process pretty easy. The lived together at MacDill Air Force base in Tampa Florida where General Smith was Commanding General of the United States Special Operations Command. Over the next several years Kirby attended school on the base, learned about his family’s history, and spent time each summer in Guyana.
In 2000 Kirby enrolled at VMI. He turned down the automatic appointment to a service academy that came with being the kin of a Medal of Honor winner in order to keep with generations of family tradition. That same year General Smith retired from the Army and bought a home in Lexington VA, not far from the VMI “Post”.
Kirby excelled in school and took well to the military life. He graduated near the top of his class and held the rank of First Captain, the highest ranking cadet, during his final year. Upon graduation Kirby accepted a commission into the United States Army, extending a line of Army service that could be traced back to the US Revolutionary war.
Career Summary:
May 2004: Graduated from VMI, ranked 4th in his class.
May 2004: Accepted Commission as 2nd Lt. in US Army
June 2004 – October 2004: Infantry School and Airborne School
January 2005: Assigned Platoon Leader, 506th Airborne Regiment – already in Iraq
January 2006: Promoted to 1st Lt., assigned Company XO while in Iraq
June 2006: 506th rotates back to the US
July 2006 – August 2006: Attended Ranger School – Honor Graduate
September 2006 – June 2007: Army Aviation school (special privilege as the Ranger honor graduate)
July 2007: Promoted to Captain, named 75th Ranger Regiment, 1st Battalion S3 – Operations and Training Officer
July 2009: Named Company Commander Dog Company, 1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment
September 2009: Unit deploys to Afghanistan
December 2011: Unit returns from Afghanistan
January 2012: Our story begins
Additional Notes:
Additional Character notes:
Kirby was really good at Cricket. Had he remained in Guyana he would have probably made the national team, and possibly played on "The Windies". This is the team that represents 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries in international cricket play.
In high school and college Kirby played soccer but really wasn't in to it – he was still one of the better players on the teams he was on. He never went out for baseball because he, and his grandfather thought it would draw too much attention.
Kirby has taken part in, and lead, covert operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Though he could probably apply for and gain acceptance into Delta Force he has not chosen to do so. This would draw too much attention to him, he feels.
Uniform Items
Ribbons - usually not worn
Silver Star
Bronze Star (with V device)
Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Badges
Combat Infantryman
Army Aviator Badge
Parachutists Badge (2 bronze stars, signifying 3 combat jumps)
Air Assault Badge
CSIB: 75th Ranger Regiment
Citations
Silver Star Award
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Edmund Kirby Smith, Captain, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Company Commander, D Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, US Special Operations Command, in support of Operation Moshtarak on 13 February 2010. Captain Smith exhibited exceptional bravery when the Chinook Helicopter he and elements of the company were traveling in came under enemy rocket fire. An indirect hit incapacitated the crew and resulted a loss of lift for the helicopter. Responding quickly he fearlessly took control of the aircraft, averting disaster, and brought the wounded helicopter safely to the ground. Now out of position and under constant enemy fire Captain Smith sprang from the helicopter and began assaulting the quickly closing enemy forces who were attempting to in-circle their position. He pressed forward firing his M-9 pistol at enemy forces and opened a gap for the rest of the element to pass through. Moving forward he repeatedly came under enemy fire, each time calmly taking well-aimed shots. After advancing several hundred meters he and the men under his command broke through and were able to reach their primary rendezvous point for the ensuing operation with minimal loss of life (4 KIA, 3WIA). Captain Smith’s courageous and boldly aggressive actions greatly reduced the enemy's ability to inflict casualties on the rest of his company. By his bold leadership, wise judgment, and complete dedication to duty, Captain Smith reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Rangers and the US Army.
Bronze Star for Valor, Second Award
FOR HEROISM IN CONNECTION WITH GROUND OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN IRAQ. 1LT EDMUND K. SMITH DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF ON 27 APRIL 2006 WHILE SERVING AS BRAVO COMPANY EXECUTIVE OFFICER, 1st REGIMENT, 506 AIRBOURNE DIVISION FOR DURING COMBAT OPERATIONS IN RAMADI, AK-ANBAR PROVINCE IRAQ. WHILE SET UP IN A NIGHT DEFENSIVE POSITION, 1LT SMITH’S COMPANY CAME UNDER ROCKET, GRENADE, AND SMALL ARMS FIRE FROM A NUMERICALLY SUPERIOR ENEMY FORCE AND SUSTAINED NUMEROUS CASUALTIES. DESPITE THE OVERWHELMING ODDS, 1LT SMITH MAINTAINED HIS POSITION AND DIRECTED SUPPRESSIVE FIRE. HE CONTINUALLY SUBJECTED HIMSELF TO THE INTENSE BARRAGE THEREFORE ALLOWING SUBORDINATES TO ADMINISTER TO THE WOUNDED. WHEN THE MEDICAL EVACUATION HELICOPTER ARRIVED AND DREW FIRE, 1LT SMITH SUCESSFULLY ENGAGED THE ENEMY, THEREBY ALLOWING THE WOUNDED TO BE EXTRACTED. HIS ACTIONS WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN GAINING FIRE SUPERIORITY AND EVENTUALLY ROUTING THE ENEMY FROM THE AREA. 1LT SMITH PERSONAL BRAVERY AND DEVOTION TO DUTY WERE IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE MILITARY SERVICE AND REFLECT GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF, HIS UNIT, AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
Bronze Star for Valor, first award
FOR GALLANTRY IN ACTION AGAINST AN ARMED ENEMY, WHILE SERVING AS A PLATOON LEADER NEAR FALLUGA, IRAQ ON 31 MAR 05. CAUGHT BETWEEN THE CROSSFIRE OF AN ENEMY AMBUSH, 2LT SMITH PUT HIMSELF IN THE LINE OF DEVASTATING ENEMY FIRE AS HE MANEUVERED HIS FIRE TEAM TO A COVERED POSITION FROM WHICH THEY COULD EFFECTIVELY DEFEND THEMSELVES AND RETURN FIRE ON ENEMY POSITIONS. THOUGH UNDER CONSTANT ENEMY FIRE, HE CONTINUED TO DIRECT FIRE AND HIS LEADERSHIP UNDER FIRE INSPIRED HIS MEN TO FIGHT AT GREAT RISK TO THEIR OWN SAFETY, RESULTING IN THE ENEMY’S EVENTUAL RETREAT AND HIS PLATOON’S SAFE PASSAGE THROUGH THE AMBUSH KILL ZONE. 2LT SMITH'S PERSONAL COURAGE, TACTICAL EXPERTISE, AND PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS PLATOON’S OVERALL SUCCESS AND SURVIVAL. HIS LEADERSHIP AND BRAVERY UNDER FIRE REFLECTED GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF, THE JOINT TASK FORCE, AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
The Kanhai Jandhi
The Kanhai’s have owned their piece of land of roughly 2000 hectares in south-central Guyana for generations. The first Kanhai’s are known to have settled on the land in the late 1830’s and have worked the land ever sense. The land, referred to by the locals as the Kanhai Jandhi (loosely translated to Kanhai land claim or holding), is mixed use with areas set aside for cattle ranching (500 hectares), bauxite mining (100 hectares), sugarcane (700 hectares), rice (250 hectares), timber (400 hectares) and other vegetables (50 hectares). The Jandhi is largely self sustainable.
Like the Kanhai’s there are several other families that make their home on the Kanhai Jandhi. These people are the descendants of the original workers hired by the Kanhai’s over a hundred years ago to work the land – a function they still do to this day. Over time the employee-worker relationship has evolved into something more like family. Kirby as a young lad had over a score of Auntie’s and Uncles; and his own mother was Auntie to more children than she could count.
Madhya
The Madhya – or central point – is the piece of land within the Kanhai Jandhi where the residents of the Jandhi make their home. This plot of roughly 10 hectares has several key features:
The Family House – this 2-level, 5-bedroom, brightly colored house has wrap-around porches on both levels. Built in the early 1980s this was also Kirby’s childhood home and where his grandparents live today. The house is built near the location where the original Family House was built in the 1830s.
The Hall – this 4000 sq. feet building is used by the residents of the Jandhi for a variety purposes. It has been used for weddings, religious activities, Jandhi-wide meetings, holiday feasts, and many other events over its 30 year life.
Guest house – this 2 bedroom, 1 bath, home connect to the Family House through covered walkway
Additional houses – 15 or so 2-3 bedroom houses built for the other full time residents of the Jandhi. These homes are each unique, built by their residents, and cover a broad spectrum of colors common in the Caribbean country.
Pond – a freshwater stream collects in a small pond before continuing further toward the nearby Rupununi River. The pond is kept stocked with fish for most of the year
Cemetery – has been used by the family, and the residents of the Jandhi, for over 150 years.
Madhya garden – a large garden set aside specifically to provide fruit and vegetables for the residents of the Madhya. There is also a small orchard here.
Additional out buildings – bunkhouses (for seasonal workers), barns, equipment sheds, garages, and other buildings necessary to the smooth functions of the Jandhi
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Fri 31 Jan 2014.