In Memoriam
BILLY R. SMITH
It is with deep regret that the board of trustees of the Korean War Veterans National
Museum and Library reports the death of trustee Billy Roy Smith of Oreana, Illinois.
Billy died on December 18, 1998. He fell asleep in his easy chair at home, resting
in the knowledge that Christmas was nigh, and he was at peace with both God and the
secular world. His wife, Louise, was in the room when he died. He is now at
peace after many long months fighting cancer.
Born in Decatur on February 12, 1930, Billy Roy Smith was the son of Eddie E. and Lucile L. Hoskins Smith. From December of 1947 until December of 1951, he served in the Illinois National Guard in Decatur. He served in the Korean War from September of 1952 until October of 1953, when he returned to Illinois and was in the Army Reserve for one year. From 1954 to 1957, he was in the Illinois Air National Guard in Springfield. He was a military police in all branches of his military service. During the Korean War, he was an MP and member of the vice squad with the 728th MP Battalion, Charlie Company.
In civilian life, he was a foreman at Caterpillar Inc. in Decatur until he retired. After retirement he worked as a security officer for the Decatur Earthmover Credit Union until his death. He was also a member and deacon of Woodland Chapel Presbyterian Church in Decatur. He and Louise were parents of a son, Michael Roy Smith, and a daughter, Mrs. Fred Allen (Melody) Bateman of Olney, Maryland. Billy had two grandsons, Mark William and Alan Michael Bateman. He is also survived by his mother, Lucile L. Smith of Decatur.
An avid collector of military memorabilia, (collecting Japanese items 1875-1945 and
U.S. items 1890-1960.), Billy Smith was also an active member of veteran's organizations:
VFW Post 99, American Legion Post 105, and the DAV. Due to his expertise with
military memorabilia, Billy volunteered to serve on the museum's collections committee to
make sure that the exhibits would be true and that artifacts would be displayed in an
accurate manner. He served as past national director of the Korean War Memorial Board in
Washington, D.C. In Illinois, he was the first elected president of the Illinois
Department of the Korean War Veterans Association, and an officer of the Charles Parlier
Local Chapter, KWVA.
Billy Smith participated in the oral history interviews conducted by the Douglas County Museum in 1996, sharing some eight hours of memories about his months of service in the Korean War. He believed very strongly that a national museum is sorely needed to educate the nation and the world about the Korean War. That is why he ran for office and was elected as a trustee of the Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library in 1998. If all Korean War veterans were as devoted to this effort to build a national Korean War Museum as Billy Smith was, ground would already be broken, the walls of the museum would be up, and the educational process would be well under way.
Billy Smith was devoted to the museum, to his family, to his country, and to his God. He will not be forgotten.
Copyright © 1998 Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library