Local news

MIA soldier’s family looks to create veterans tribute at Grange Park

BELLEFONTE -- The siblings of Major Lewis P. Smith II, who has been listed as Missing in Action since May 30, 1968, have embarked on a mission to honor all Centre County Veterans, and support the mission of the fullest possible accounting of all Prisoners of War (POW) and those Missing in Action (MIA).

Smith, a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, was a 1964 Penn State graduate who majored in music. He was just 25 years old when his single-seat Skymaster aircraft was shot down near Chavane, Laos, during the Vietnam War. Although immediate searches were conducted, his body was never found and he has been declared as MIA since then.

Major Smith was born Jan. 2, 1943 to Earl and Elizabeth ("Betty") Smith of Bellefonte. Smith's siblings include twin sisters, Georgette (Don) Nuss, of Herndon, Va., and Georgia (Phil) Chambers, of Williamsport; Patti (Tom) Long, of Howard; Debbie (Tom) Burger, of Bellefonte; and Dennis (Sue) Smith, also of Bellefonte.

The family's vision is to install a Veteran's tribute area at the Centre County Grange Encampment Park in Centre Hall. The memorial area would include a 40-foot American flagpole, a POW/MIA monument and individual tribute markers for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Space Force.

The large stone monument and military markers are to be crafted from Pennsylvania black granite. The six smaller markers will have brass military branch insignia inlayed in each. Names of service individuals will not be listed, but rather the memorial monument and markers will be placed at the Grange Fairgrounds in honor and remembrance of all veterans and those who are still listed as POW/MIA.

The family is working with Weaver Memorials in State College for the markers and larger monument to be ordered and ultimately set in the military tribute area at Grange Park.

This endeavor comes with a hefty price tag -- $80,000. Many individuals have already seen the sketches of what the finished memorial project will look like and are very favorable to its purpose. Some have already pledged donations towards the cause and cost. The amount received so far is not nearly enough to complete the project as the designs call for, so letters and requests for financial donations have been sent to American Legion posts and VFW clubs, along with local businesses, seeking contributions to complete the project.

Donations will also be accepted during the week of Grange Fair for those attending it later this summer.

With the help of Green Horizon Landscape in Boalsburg, the goal is to have the flagpole in place by August, just in time for the Grange Fair this year. The remainder of the tribute area should be completed, depending on funding, before the start of the 2024 Grange Fair.

The Smith family would love to send a representative to your group or club to further explain the importance of a tribute area such as this. The family is not only looking for financial support to raise the $80,000, but would also like to gather input to make the dedication ceremony as respectful and inclusive as possible.

Debbie Burger, who most often serves as the spokesperson for the family, shared that "because of me being so young when Lewis went missing, a lot of my childhood memories are of my parents trying to get information from the government about Lewis' whereabouts by attending meetings and briefings."

Burger and her siblings, their spouses and children, want to help keep the mission alive to get the fullest accounting of their brother, as well as other missing veterans, and to get those held captive returned.

"When mom was passing I told her I would continue her mission until I get results and get Lewis home where he belongs," said Burger.

Although her brother, Major Lewis P. Smith II, has been missing for more than 55 years now, Burger faithfully attends meetings and lobbies for information on his possible whereabouts. Her parents didn't live to see the day their son would be found and returned, with their mother, Betty, passing in 1998 and their father, Earl, passing a little more than a year later in 1999. But Burger says that her family "will continue their family's quest, not only for our brother, but also because it is our duty to honor all those that have served our great nation."

Burger and her husband, Tom, will be headed to Washington on June 29 through 30 to seek more information from the government and military on those listed as POW/MIA. This annual governmental briefing for family members is held to provide updates with the latest information available on the progress of finding their loved ones who have been declared as MIA or POW. This meeting is the first one to be held since COVID halted the face-to-face meetings.

Through Burger's persistence, their family has already received some hopeful information from the briefings.

"When another piece of the puzzle appears or is found, like the return of Lewis' PSU class ring, I always say it's Mom's Divine Intervention guiding us," said Burger. That keeps her moving forward in her quest to see her brother returned home. She'd like to have her brother's remains found and interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

In the meantime, the Smith is continuing its quest to honor those POW/MIA soldiers with the monument.

The family is not only looking for financial support to raise the $80,000, but would also like to gather input to make the dedication ceremony as respectful and inclusive as possible. To set up a time for a more in-depth presentation, you may reach out to the Smith family by sending an email to 4vets@comcast.net.

The Smith family is partnering with the Centre County Grange Fair Board to collect and oversee the financial aspects of the Veteran's Tribute.

A donation form is provided for checks to be mailed directly to Centre County Grange Encampment, PO Box 271, Centre Hall, PA 16828. Your donation is tax deductible. Please mark POW/MIA Veteran Tribute on the memo line of your check.