Barksdale remembers fallen Airman

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alyssa Miles
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Maj. Andy Smith, 2d Bomb Wing judge advocate, died after a prolonged illness on Jan. 28. Major Smith began his Air Force career on July 27, 1988 after accepting a direct appointment commission, and was stationed at England Air Force Base, Alexandria, La., as an assistant judge advocate until January 1991. After leaving England AFB, then Captain Smith was transferred to Shefford, Bedfordshire, England where he served as the deputy staff judge advocate. In September 1994, Major Smith left active-duty and served in the Reserves until his passing. Smith was promoted to major in September 1997. Below, co-workers share memories of their friend.

"Major Smith was one of our IMAs. Andy loved doing legal assistance. This is a duty that can really wear on an attorney as you are dealing with the personal problems of strangers. Many attorneys want to avoid this like the plague preferring to focus on the glamorous duties involving military justice or operations law. But Andy really loved it. He would look forward to spending time with his clients, and always had a big smile on his face. He was genuinely interested in helping people and was genuinely interested in their problems. He approached legal assistance and the practice of law the way we all should.
My wife and I went to Alexandria to visit Andy after he was diagnosed with cancer. When we pulled up to his house we noticed an old firebird sitting in the driveway. This was a shock because Andy always seemed so practical and no one had ever seen this car. I teased him a bit about having a secret life and as to why he was letting this racecar sit idle.
Major Smith was a good Christian man. He was strong in both his faith in God and country. He was a good American - a patriot. It's difficult - but the older you get the more friends and family you lose. It's a fact of life. The nice thing is when the memories you have of them make you laugh or smile. I always try to think of what the individual would have wanted. Would Andy have wanted people to be sad in thinking about him or to smile and celebrate what he was all about? That's an easy one. I never saw him when he wasn't smiling - even when he was as sick as a man can be - he would take off his oxygen mask and joke about finally being able to eat whatever he wanted without having to worry about gaining weight. I will remember Andy for who he was and what he brought to us."
-- Col. David Dales, 2d Bomb Wing Staff Judge Advocate

"When I started working at the legal office in January 2000, he was already assigned here. He shared information about this area as well as his military and legal experience. I worked with him in the civil law section and in 2003, when I transferred to our administration section, I handled all of his billeting and pay arrangements. My fondest on-duty memory is remembering Major Smith sharing his life experiences. He seemed to be able to find humor out of even the most frustrating experiences. I would describe Major Smith as a friendly person. He enjoyed the simple things in life and really valued friendships. He also enjoyed Christian singing and liked to tell me about some of the hymns/songs he enjoyed the most. Words of encouragement that I would like to share are: remember his smile and sense of humor. He enjoyed life and took time to make sure people around him were doing well."
-- Jennifer Washington, Administrative Legal Assistant

"Major Smith was very much an Anglophile. He was stationed there during his active-duty days and he learned to love tea. He drank hot tea all the time. He brought his stainless steel tea pot with him to Barksdale for his Reserve days and he would leave it with me in my office. One day it came up missing, and we never did figure out what happened to it. Well, he was very distraught over it. I offered to get him a china pot or any other pot that he wanted to replace it, but Andy would have none of it. He had to have an exact duplicate of the original pot, so we hunted and hunted for the pot for months. It was about three months before he got sick that he came in one day and told me that he had gone to a garage sale and an identical pot. I was amazed at how happy finding a simple tea pot made him.
Andy was very intelligent and a stickler for detail. His work product was always outstanding, but he was very taken with minute details. Andy never met a stranger. Andy and I spoke often of the afterlife and whether there was one. I am thoroughly convinced that Andy was a born-again believer in Jesus Christ and that at this moment he is in heaven with his Lord and happy as a clam. Probably trying to convince the angels that tea is the only beverage worth drinking. To his family. You are in my prayers."
-- Joseph Ritmo, Court Reporter