Senate Resolution No. 1660

BY: Senator TEDISCO

COMMENDING United States Army Corporal Walter A.
Smead posthumously upon the occasion of his
designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the
highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New
York State Senate

WHEREAS, Members of the Armed Services from the State of New York,
who served so valiantly and honorably in wars in which this country's
freedom was at stake, deserve a special salute from this Legislative
Body; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend United
States Army Corporal Walter A. Smead posthumously upon the occasion of
his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor
bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate; and

WHEREAS, The New York State Senate Liberty Medal was established by
Resolution and is awarded to individuals who have merited special
commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts on behalf of
their fellow New Yorkers; and

WHEREAS, Douglas Smead, brother of Walter Alvin Smead, spent 70
years wondering about the fate of his oldest brother, a United States
Army Private, who went missing during savage fighting in bitter cold
weather around the Chosin Reservoir, in what is now North Korea, in the
early months of the Korean War; and

WHEREAS, Private Walter A. Smead disappeared while his artillery
unit was holding a hill, covering the retreat of other forces and then
itself falling back; and

WHEREAS, He was listed as missing in action; after three years, the
military declared him presumed killed, but his body was never found, and
his fate in some sense remained unknown; and

WHEREAS, Relatives of the 24-year-old soldier, who grew up in the
northern Saratoga County Hamlet of Hadley, were recently notified that
the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, using a DNA match from Douglas
Smead, identified Walter's remains as among those returned by North
Korea in the wake of the President Trump/Kim Jong-un summit in Singapore
in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Corporal Walter A. Smead was laid to rest on Monday,
September 20, 2021, at the Solomon National Cemetery in Schuylerville,
New York, with full military honors; and

WHEREAS, Residents of this great State must never forget the courage
with which these men and women served their country, and must recognize
that no greater debt is owed than that owed to those who gave their
lives for their beloved Nation and to those who continue to be missing
in action; and

WHEREAS, Having exhibited his patriotism both at home and abroad,
Corporal Walter A. Smead demonstrated his love for his country and
merits forevermore the highest respect of his State and Nation; and

WHEREAS, Our Nation's veterans deserve to be recognized, commended
and thanked by the people of the State of New York for their service and
for their dedication to their communities, their State and their Nation;
now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend United States Army Corporal Walter A. Smead posthumously upon
the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the
highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate;
and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Corporal Walter A. Smead.