Lynn Hudson Smith
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army

Lynn Hudson Smith was born on 7 September 1942, the son of Clarence Hudson and Eula Self Smith. He entered the U.S. Army on 15 November 1965 from Wisconsin.

On 1 February 1968, First Lieutenant Lynn Hudson Smith was a Platoon Leader serving with Company A, 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, in South Vietnam.

On that day, 1LT Smith and Company A were conducting a sweep mission in the city of My Tho when the lead element was suddenly attacked and pinned down by a well-entrenched Viet Cong force. Upon seeing that the company was unable to move to the assistance of the point element, 1LT Smith led his platoon through the hostile fire in an attempt to reach the endangered point element. Fighting his way from house to house, 1LT Smith brought his men to the edge of a large open area where they were once again pinned down by the enemy fusillade. Knowing that the members of the point element would have to be brought to safety before artillery could be called in, 1LT Smith made several attempts to lead a party of his men across the fire-swept area but was forced to turn back each time due to heavy enemy fire. Determined to rescue the lead element, 1LT Smith saw an unoccupied jeep, ran to it, and drove it through the barrage of enemy fire to the point element. After loading the wounded members of the point element onto the jeep, he started back through the enemy's zone of fire and had almost reached cover when he was mortally wounded by an enemy round. 1LT Smith's courageous actions allowed the point men to reach safety and contributed significantly to his company's efforts to drive the Viet Cong from the city. 1LT Smith's extraordinary heroism, at the cost of his life, earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Lynn Hudson Smith (ASN: 0-5336701), United States Army (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism in action while serving as a Platoon Leader with Company A, 3d Battalion, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division in the Republic of Vietnam on 1 February 1968. On this date, Company A was conducting a sweep mission in the city of My Tho when its lead element was suddenly attacked and pinned down by a well-entrenched Viet Cong force. Upon observing that the company was unable to move to the assistance of the point element, Lieutenant Smith courageously led his platoon through the intense hostile fire in an attempt to reach the endangered point element. Fighting his way from house to house, Lieutenant Smith brought his men to the edge of a large open area where they were once again pinned down by the enemy fusillade. Realizing that the members of the point element would have to be brought to safety before artillery could be called in, Lieutenant Smith, unmindful of his personal safety, made several attempts to lead a party of his men across the fire-swept area but was forced to turn back each time because of the extremely heavy enemy fire. Determined to rescue the lead element, Lieutenant Smith sighted an unoccupied jeep, ran to it, and drove it through the murderous barrage of enemy fire to the point element. After loading the wounded members of the point element onto the jeep, he started back through the enemy's zone of fire and had almost reached cover when he was mortally wounded by an enemy round. Lieutenant Smith's gallant actions enabled the point men to reach safety and contributed significantly to his company's efforts to drive the Viet Cong from the city. Lieutenant Smith's extraordinary heroism and concern for his comrades-in-arms were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.

General Orders: Department of the Army, General Orders No. 58 (September 24, 1969)

Honors

The name Lynn H Smith is located on Panel 36E Line 61 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Burial

First Lieutenant Lynn Hudson Smith is buried at Forest Hill Memorial Park in Oak Creek, Milwaukee County, WI.

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