As Seabees worldwide celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the fighting Seabees, March 5, the oldest living Seabee in North Carolina, at 103 years of age, recounted service to his country during World War II.

While Seabees worldwide will commemorate the 75th anniversary this year which established a force of more than 325,000 builders who could fight during World War II, Jerry Smith was one of the Sailors who entered the U.S. Navy at the age of 29, March 15, 1942.

At the time of his enlistment he didn't know about a new rating called the Seabees; he simply signed up to serve his country like so many men his age would. Based on his experience helping to run a hardware store for the past decade, he was selected for this new community.

"I was assigned to the 1st Naval Construction Battalion," recalled Smith. "After serving in the unit for six months overseas we found out that we were Seabees."

Smith was also chosen to serve in the Seabees based on his familiarity with construction equipment and ability to build.

Smith jokingly added when he joined the Navy it was at the behest of his employer, Liston L. Mallard, who owned the local hardware store. Mallard had served in World War I and wanted to again do his part for his country.

"I'm joining the Navy; would you like to come too?" Smith recalled what Mallard had asked him 75 years ago.

Smith ultimately ended up serving with Mallard while deployed overseas on Efete Island in the southwestern Pacific. The island, just five miles long from the east to west and 18 miles wide, served as a significant defensive advantage for the U.S. and its Allied forces.

After the war ended Smith returned to his same hometown, to his same job, and worked again with his same employer. Men like Smith and Mallard signed up simply because it was needed at the time.

Smith served as a storekeeper during his enlistment -- one of 17 on island -- and when he joined the Navy there was no delay in shipping qualified builders worldwide to help turn the tide in the U.S. and Allied favor.

"We were taken out of our civilian lives, placed in a 1,000-man unit and shipped overseas," said Smith, who recalled arriving on Efete Island, the dominant island in the New Hebrides archipelago.

Elements of the 1st Naval Construction Battalion starting arriving on island, May 1942, and were quickly put to work.

The U.S. Navy was responsible for constructing the base on the island, the port, a 600-bed hospital, but also construct the crucial 6,000-foot runway and airfield, which was needed for the Guadalcanal campaign, August 1942 through February 1943.

While forces were actively building up Efete Island, Japanese forces were fervently establishing bases on Guadalcanal which threatened access to sea routes between the U.S. and Australia. The construction of the airfield at that time was crucial because the U.S. needed to get planes in the air to prevent Japanese forces from attacking Allied supply lines across the Pacific.

"First thing we built was a bomber strip so we can start bombing Guadalcanal," recalled Smith.

With seven bulldozers, 10 trucks, and one crane, Seabees stationed on Efete Island used the older equipment and got to work fortifying and building up the base to create the first stronghold in the Pacific to fight against the Japanese.

Smith played a pivotal role on island, overseeing timber to be used in all of the base construction.

"I was the only one on the island except the man I worked for who could count lumber," recalled Smith. "I was automatically in charge of lumber -- more than 600,000 feet of the prettiest west coast fir you ever saw."

During his nearly two-year deployment, he spent time building docks, bridges, and roads in addition to his storekeeping duties.

The Guadalcanal campaign was seen as a significant strategic combined Allied victory in the Pacific theater because it marked the first major offensive by Allied forces against Japan.

Coupled with the victory of the Battle of Midway, June 1942, both historical events helped to turn the tide in the Pacific against the Japanese in favor of the U.S. and Allied forces.

Smith ultimately served his entire time in service on Efete Island, March 1942 through September 1945. In today's Navy where families can stay connected with their loved ones instantaneously while deployed, Smith didn't have the opportunity to speak with his family for 19 months.

For the Seabees serving during World War II, having the right amount of initiative and toughness both helped to save lives and equally served to pass the time. Smith recalled stories of using his "Seabee ingenuity" put to good use to both raise morale and help to pass the time.

When Smith got on island there was no radio, no form of entertainment or books to read, save for his Bible. He and his fellow Sailors saw their first movie on island roughly three months after their arrival.

Smith also found himself helping his fellow Sailors in any way he could.

"You just did what you had to do, with what you had to do it with is what we found out," said Smith.

Smith wasn't your average storekeeper. He found ways to help with everything from building the 6,000-foot runway, rolling up his sleeves to assist the medical staff when wounded service members starting arriving on island, to flying combat missions.

"When 67 wounded men arrived at the hospital," recalled Smith, "we had no nurses and we were short of corpsmen. I would help with anything."

Smith also took care of the men he served with; whether by making coconut pies or fresh homemade biscuits, he did his part to help his fellow shipmate.

"I had one of the welders make me a stove, 24 inches wide, four feet high, that I used to make homemade biscuits," recalled Smith, who also had a pig roast a time or two.

Smith, who today resides in Durham, North Carolina, truly looks more like a 90-year-old than an active centurion. Smith enjoyed reflecting on his time in service and offered advice to the generations of Sailors and Seabees serving today.

"Do your best all the time," said Smith, who truly did his best while serving his country as a Seabee.

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