William Henry Smiley Jr., was born on March 30, 1923, in Kemp, Texas, to William Henry Smiley of Denham Springs, Louisiana and Lois Elmick-Smiley of Kemp, Texas.

In 1942, he graduated from Classen High School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and enlisted in the United States Navy. He served aboard the U.S. Hobby DD 610, a naval destroyer, which knew war time duty in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. The primary duty of this destroyer was to escort convoys to the Mediterranean area of North Africa. In 1944, Smiley was deployed to the Theater of Action with duty in New Guinea, as well as supporting landings in four invasions. Other supportive actions included Peleliu, Iwo Jima, the Philippines, and Okinawa. The U.S.S. Hobby performed every possible type of destroyer duty in the Pacific and participated in nearly all operations from the occupation of New Guinea to the invasion of Okinawa. Because of the feats of the U.S.S. Hobby she earned an amazing ten battle stars.

During Smiley’s service on the U.S.S. Hobby, he was part of Halsey’s Task Force which was commissioned to launch a raid in the area of the Philippines. This Task Force included battle ships, cruisers, tankers, destroyers and carriers. With little technology available in the area of meteorology the naval convoy encountered an horrific typhoon. Because of the storm’s unyielding intensity several vessels were not able to refuel. Subsequently, three destroyers ran out of fuel and being broadsided by the storm, capsized and sank, resulting in the loss of over 800 men. Sustaining considerable damage the U.S.S. Hobby survived the typhoon and had to return, along with the other surviving vessels, to the Ulithi Naval Base located in the Caroline Islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

Upon his honorable discharge on October 7, 1948, after serving on the U.S.S. Hobby, the U.S.S. Sigourney and the U.S.S. New, Smiley had achieved the rank of Water Tender First Class, and had been awarded an American Theater Medal, a European–African-Middle Eastern Medal, an Asiatic Pacific Medal with eight stars and a Philippine Liberation Medal with one star.

William Henry is a very patriotic man and sets an impeccable example and standard of support for the American Government, the American Flag and his beloved country. Because he wears his “destroyer” baseball cap he has been greeted and thanked for his service to our country by both his generation as well as young adults. He is well versed and acquainted with the infinite price of liberty and its preservation, and along with thousands more, served The United States with dignity and candor to help defend the constitution which guarantees our rights and freedoms.

William Henry Jr., a retired petroleum geologist, lives with his wife, Sylvia, of fifty-eight years, in Edmond, Oklahoma. They have two sons, John and Bill Smiley, both of Oklahoma City.