Navy yeoman, 23, killed in Italy crash

Ever since he was 7, James Smith told his parents he wanted to be in the Navy.

Shortly before he went to basic training, a month after graduating from Bonanza High School, Smith went to a Las Vegas tattoo parlor and got indelibly etched on his upper left arm the image of an eagle standing in front of an anchor. It was lasting proof of his dedication to his country and his devotion to fulfill his childhood dream.

"Before he left, my son said: 'If I die doing what I want to do, don't grieve for me,'" said Linda Smith, longtime office manager of convention sales for the Las Vegas Hilton. "Jimmy spent his youth preparing for the challenges of service life, and he had hoped to make a career out of it."

James Samuel Smith, a native Las Vegan who in four short years had attained the rank of yeoman second class, was killed last Thursday in Gaeta, Italy, when his motorcycle went out of control and he was run over by a truck while en route to his off-base home. He was 23.

Services for the native Las Vegan are pending. His body is being transported from Italy to Las Vegas for services that will conclude with Smith's interment in the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City.

"My son was so gung-ho about military service, he ran across the desert in boots to train for it," Linda said of the youngest of her three children. "He loved his country and said he would be willing to give his life to defend it."

Just last year, Smith, the son of George Smith, deacon of the Lighthouse Church of God in Christ, reenlisted for four more years following his meteoric rise to the E-5 rank.

Upon being promoted to second class petty officer last June, Smith's then-commander J. E. Neal wrote to his parents that their son: "Has demonstrated exceptional initiative and personal effort in reaching his goal on the advancement ladder.

"James is an outstanding U.S. Navy support facility sailor who has set an excellent example for the junior personnel. The Navy needs men of his caliber."

Born May 23, 1975, Smith attended Tobler Elementary, Gilbert CVT and Garside Junior High before entering Bonanza in the fall of 1989. He was a member of the school's ROTC program for three years.

Smith also played football his freshman through junior years, lettering in the 1991 season. A leg injury prevented him from playing football his senior year.

Undaunted by that setback, Smith turned to weightlifting where he became a member of the 1,000-Pound Club and gymnastics where he received the Outstanding Achievement in Physical Education Award for the 1992-93 school year.

"Jimmy had an opportunity to be sponsored to go to the Naval Academy, but he said he wanted instead to go through basic training, start at the bottom and work his way up the ranks to officer," Linda said.

As a youngster, Smith took up rifle and pistol shooting and, under the supervision of his parents, became adept at handling firearms. That skill served him well in the Navy as he won several medals for his expert marksmanship.

As a freshman in high school, Smith also developed a love for motorcycles. His parents bought him his first off-road motor bike when he was a freshman.

On the day Smith got his tattoo, Linda recalled: "I went with him just to make sure all of the instruments were clean. We have always supported our children in whatever they have wanted to do."

At first, Smith had a desire to be a Navy jet pilot, but later trained to be a Navy SEAL in San Diego. He also desired to see the world, so Smith was sent overseas to Gaeta, a seaport village about 80 miles southeast of Rome.

A man of several talents, Smith also could write long letters in reversed characters.

"I had to put the letters up to a mirror to read them," Linda said. "I don't know where he learned to do that -- I think he taught himself. He was very smart. But he also was modest. Jimmy didn't talk too much about his accomplishments."

Linda took time off from work in May to go to Italy and visit her son.

"I arrived on Mother's Day, and I'm so glad I took that trip," Linda said. "Jimmy was always so concerned that he was not living up to my expectations. I told him I have always been proud of him."

Late last week, two Naval officers accompanied by a Nellis Air Force Base chaplain went to the Smiths' Las Vegas home to deliver the shocking news.

"When I opened the door, even before they spoke, I knew that Jimmy was gone -- they don't come like that to bring you good news," Linda said. "My only consolation was that they told me he died at the scene in less than three minutes. Thank God he did not suffer too long."

The other night, Linda was going through some personal items and found a Mother's Day card her son had given her two months ago. She opened it and found a message written in reverse letters that somehow she had previously overlooked.

Linda went to the bathroom and held it up to the mirror. It read: "I'm glad you are here mom."

In addition to his parents, Smith is survived by a brother, George Smith Jr., and a sister, Letha Smith, both of Las Vegas.

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