Furman L. Smith

He stayed with both wounded soldiers as the enemy closed in.

Furman Leon Smith came from the Six Mile and Central area of South Carolina. Born on 11 May 1925, he entered the United States Army in July 1943, while still a teenager. He served in Company L, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, during the Allied campaign in Italy.

On 31 May 1944, near Lanuvio, his platoon came under intense German fire. Its leader and another soldier were seriously wounded and could not move. As the remaining men withdrew under mounting pressure, Smith chose to stay with the casualties rather than leave them to the advancing enemy.

He gathered the rifles and ammunition left by the withdrawing troops and made a position from which to defend the wounded. When German soldiers approached, he held his fire until they were close and then opened on them. His determined resistance delayed their advance and inflicted heavy losses. He continued fighting until he was killed and his position was overrun.

Smith's action was recognised with the Medal of Honor in January 1945. His citation commemorated a private who remained beside helpless comrades when the tactical position was collapsing. He was nineteen when he died, less than a year after entering the Army.

His remains were returned to South Carolina for burial. His military record belongs to the Italian campaign, where the 34th Division fought its way towards Rome, and his sacrifice has been commemorated in his home region.