The Flying Parson of the 511th: 52 Ancestors 2024 Prompt “Favorite Discovery”

The “Parachute Chaplain” of the Smith Family

Rev. Harvey Murdoch Smith: 1917-2003 (Maternal First Cousin 1x Removed)

While reading the obituary of Rev. Harvey Murdoch Smith, I came across an amazing line:

“He was a parachute chaplain with the US Army’s 11^th Airborne Division during World War II and the Korean War.”

A parachute chaplain? What in the world did that mean? All I could imagine was a guy in a clerical collar reading a Bible as his parachute floated to earth while under fire by soldiers on the ground beneath him. That couldn’t be right, could it? Obviously, I needed to do some research!

First, to provide some background on Harvey, he was born in Buckhorn, Kentucky on November 13, 1917 to parents Rev. Albert Elias Smith and Othilde “Tillie” Haurin. He was the third of their four children, and grew up in the hills of Kentucky where his parents served as missionaries, teachers and his father was a pastor.

Harvey attended college at Kentucky’s Centre College, where he received a B.A. His field of study was apparently aeronautical engineering, according to a news article published later in his life. He changed course following his father’s death, and pursued graduate studies at the Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where according to his engagement notice below, he received a STB and an STM—a bachelor degree and a masters degree in Systematic Theology. He then attended the University of Pittsburgh for a master’s degree in education.

While on the East Coast, Harvey apparently spent time at his uncle’s house in Everett, Massachusetts. His uncle, Rev. Willis E. Smith, was the pastor of the Congregational Church in Everett. In 1943, Harvey became briefly engaged to a young Everett resident, Jean Ashley, just as he prepared to ship out as a chaplain to the 511^th Parachute Regiment. The engagement did not survive the war.

Chaplains in World War II weren’t just sitting in safe, rearward positions. They were embedded with troops, moving with them. So when Harvey was assigned as chaplain to the 511^th Parachute Regiment, he was trained to jump out of planes with the other paratroopers. The only difference was that the chaplains did not have to carry weapons—some did but most did not.

Here is a description of the role of the chaplain from The Chaplain, Technical Manual TM 16-205, the 1944 edition, which was used to train WWII chaplains:

“When the ground forces go into action, their chaplain should be with them. This may mean he will move from one platoon to another or will minister to the wounded in exposed positions but never that he will place himself in unnecessary danger. He must be careful that his movements do not disclose hidden positions to the enemy nor draw his fire. If casualties are numerous, he will serve best at the forward aid station. He may be placed in charge of collecting the wounded and bringing them there or he may assist in bandaging and similar forms of relief in emergencies. His skills may save the lives of wounded men. While he will do everything in his power to relieve and increase the physical comfort of the men, he will bear in mind that this is not his primary function.

He will do his utmost to comfort the suffering and give the consolations of religion to the dying. ... The chaplain who shares the peril of battle, showing kindness that never fails and a sincere concern for their welfare, will gain a place in their confidence that will reinforce powerfully all his efforts to give moral and religious instruction and inspiration.” 

It is unclear whether Harvey chose to carry a gun or not, but his unit was a storied one sent into some of the most dangerous battlefields in the Pacific theater, and Harvey was with them. A book about the unit by Jeremy C. Holm (see citation below) describes another 511^th Parachute Regiment chaplain, Captain Lee Walker.

“A special Thanksgiving service led by…’Chappie’ Walker of Ohio, one of the Divisions’s ‘Flying Parsons’, was organized to life their spirits. A Presbyterian with only six years in the ministry, Walker would become one of America’s first chaplains to earn their Jump Wings and one of the few to qualify as Jump Master.”

Chaplain Jump Wings Pin--WWII era

Since Harvey was referred to as a “parachute chaplain”, it appears he was another chaplain who earned his Jump Wings. He seems to have combined his interest in aeronautical engineering with his ministerial training.

Harvey probably experienced some intense battles. The 511^th was sent to the Pacific, where they fought in Leyte and Luzon campaigns in the Philippines, and the 511^th was the first unit to enter Japan at the end of the war. In a 1946 lecture to a Yonkers, New York missionary group, Harvey said that he was “a member of a party of eight which landed in a northern prefecture of Japan and said he was amazed ‘at the ease of adjustment shown by the Japanese toward their conquerers.’”

Harvey also served as a chaplain in the Korean War. I have been unable to locate any records from his years of military service, but he rose to the rank of Colonel in the Army, and Fold3 has Index Card records for his military burial and headstone. He remained in the Army Reserves, teaching at the U.S. Army Chaplain’s School at Fort Hamilton during the summers at least until 1967.

Photo of U.S. Army Chaplain School Class of 1963 when Harvey was teaching there.

Following his war service, Harvey married Mary Brenyo on May 28, 1946. He worked as a Presbyterian minister at churches in New York and Pennsylvania. He also served as the director of the United Presbyterian Church’s Board of National Missions, taking on the job in 1962. A 1967 article (citation below) in the White Plains Reporter Dispatch described the job as follows:

“Mr. Smith interprets the national missions program to synods, presbyteries and local churches. His work includes new church development, urban church work, town and country ministries, health education and welfare projects, and radio and television work.”

One of Rev. Smith's appearances as Director of National Missions

In addition to his ministerial and board of missions work, Harvey and wife Mary raised three children, Harvey Jr., Scott and Suzanne.

Harvey died September 28, 2003 at the age of eighty-five. He had lived in White Plains, New York for forty years. He was buried in the White Plains Rural Cemetery.

I really enjoyed learning about the role of the “flying parsons”. I love how genealogy teaches me so much about history that I never knew. Rev. Smith’s bravery as a chaplain to army paratroopers was one of my favorite discoveries this year.

Sources:

https://bethelatwar.org/spiritual-pillars-celebration-and-criticism-of-wwii-chaplains/

Obituary: Smith, Rev. Harvey Murdoch. Journal News. White Plains, NY. Oct. 3, 2003. Newspapers.com.

“511^th Infantry Regiment (United States).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/511th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

“Miss Ashley Engaged to Chaplain Smith”. The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. 12 September 1943, pg. 44. Newspapers.com.

THE MILITARY CHAPLAINCY OF THE U.S. ARMY: FOCUSING ON WORLD WAR II CHAPLAINS IN COMBAT.  Patrick G. Skelly. Capstone Paper at Norwich University, June 15, 2007. https://thechaplainkit.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/military_chaplaincy_army_ww2-skelly.pdf

 When Angels Fall: From Toccoa to Tokyo: The 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II MacArthur’s Secret Weapon & Heroes of Los Baños. Jeremy C. Holm. Independently published. Aug. 3, 2019. Pg. 71.

 “Guest Preachers.” White Plains Reporter Dispatch. White Plains, NY. July 22, 1967. Accessed on Newspapers.com.

 “Rev. Smith Addresses Missionary Group”. Yonkers Herald Statesman. Yonkers, New York. Nov. 16, 1946. Accessed on Newspapers.com