Sergeant Ernest (Smokey) Smith Died

[Gene Wirchenko]

Dear rasfw'ers:

In chapter 9 of Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_, Juan Rico
continues his training at Camp Spooky Smith located between Good Hope
Mountain and Mount Waddington. Liberty was possible to Vancouver.
This puts the camp in British Columbia.

I wonder if Sergeant Spooky Smith was a lightly disguised version
of Sergeant Ernest (Smokey) Smith who died recently. The real
Sergeant Smith was born in New Westminster (a city in the Vancouver
area) on May 3, 1914. He died in Vancouver on Wednesday.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

[bill van]

In article <6b098clfnvi5o2n80...@4ax.com>,

(Unlurking, briefly)

There is some confusion here. I met Smokey Smith a couple of times; his
daughter was a good friend. But he died some time ago, in 2005. Here's
his Wikipedia bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Smith
--
bill

[William Hyde]

I would have sworn that I'd never heard of him, but when I read ST at age 14 I read the camp name as "Smokey Smith" and wasn't disabused of that idea until decades later, on this group, IIRC. So it seems likely that at some point before age 14 I'd heard of him.

Perhaps Heinlein changed the name because Smith was still alive, while Currie was long gone. Is this the kind of detail the Heinlein biography covers?

William Hyde

[a425couple]

"Gene Wirchenko" <ge...@telus.net> wrote in message ...

You probably have already read everything I've found.
But just in case, (since sometimes two people looking
at internet find different things) here is some stuff:

http://alt.fan.heinlein.narkive.com/qESvBgev/spooky-smith-passes-away
"Spooky Smith" passes away
(too old to reply)
Rhino
11 years ago
Permalink
Raw Message
Sergeant "Smoky" Smith has passed away. See this link for details:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20050803/ca_pr_on_na/obit_smoky_smith

I have heard a theory that Smoky Smith was the inspiration for Camp Spooky
Smith, which figures prominently in Starship Troopers.

Now, I am NOT positive about Smoky was the inspiration for Spooky so I hope
others on this newsgroup can tell me if this is true or not. I hae no idea
if Heinlein ever explained or verifed this or whether it is simply wishful
thinking on someone's part. However, if Smoky was the inspiration for the
name of the camp, I thought people on this newsgroup would be interested in
hearing about it.

By the way, for those who didn't know, Camp Arthur Currie WAS inspired by
General Arthur Currie, a Canadian general in WW I and Camp Spooky Smith
*appears* to be in British Columbia - Smoky Smith hailed from southern
B.C. - so the Smoky/Spooky theory seems to be at least plausible. After all,
Smoky won a Victoria Cross and would probably have been known to Heinlein
for his exploits. Heinlein also received lots of fan mail from Canada and
elsewhere in the British Empire/Commonwealth so it is not preposterous to
think that he might have used the names of some Canadian military heroes in
Starship Troopers, perhaps as a form of recognition for his Canadian fans.

On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 19:20:25 -0400, "Rhino"
Post by Rhino
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20050803/ca_pr_on_na/obit_smoky_smith
It cerainly sounds to me like this is fairly conclusive.
Post by Rhino
Although his comrades called him "a soldier's soldier," Smith's relationship
with the army was stormy.
He built a reputation as an independent-minded man suspicious of
authorities. They made him a corporal nine times and busted him back to
private nine times. That was his rank when he was awarded his VC, the only
Canadian private to win the medal in the Second World War.
Does this sound a bit like Corporal (aka Private) E. C. "Oscar"
Gordon? I can't find my copy of Glory Road, so I don't remember how
many times he was busted.

Don't know about Oscar, but it sure sounds like the USAAF's Snuffy Smith:
http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/part2/06_smith.html
What is it about guys named Smith? :-D

[Gene Wirchenko]

It is stronger than just "*appears*". The two mountains
mentioned are in B.C.

>B.C. - so the Smoky/Spooky theory seems to be at least plausible. After all,
>Smoky won a Victoria Cross and would probably have been known to Heinlein
>for his exploits. Heinlein also received lots of fan mail from Canada and
>elsewhere in the British Empire/Commonwealth so it is not preposterous to
>think that he might have used the names of some Canadian military heroes in
>Starship Troopers, perhaps as a form of recognition for his Canadian fans.

And it is a cheap way of showing internationalism. (He was not
likely to get national/cultural details wrong. Whether this was a
factor to him, I know not.)

[snip]

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko