Family and friends laid John Eric Smidt to rest at the Miramar National Cemetery in Miramar, CA on November 12, 2021. Shortly after, his family and friends participated in his “Celebration of Life” ceremony. Above all else, Eric was a devoted husband to his bride of 24 years, Desirae Storey Smidt. She loved him dearly. In addition, he was the proud father of two boys, Brandon and Bobby.

Born on April 24, 1960 to Captain Robert L. and Sarah Grace Smidt in San Diego, CA, Eric, the youngest of three sons, showed an early interest in the Army. Robert (USNA ’54), a career naval aviator, was the son of a senior Army enlisted soldier who served on Corregidor Island in World War II.

Growing up a Navy brat had its advantages, as Eric found himself finishing high school in Italy. He reported to West Point in June 1979 to join his class on R-Day. The “Gentle Giant” played football as a plebe on the junior varsity squad. However, his final three years as a member of Company I-4 (“I-Beam!”) took a rather abrupt turn as he moved from the gridiron to the fencing strip. He fell in love with fencing.

Interestingly, once outside West Point’s athletic facilities, Eric met his match. He regularly parried thrusts from the Dean of Academics, yet graduated with his “I-Beam” brothers and sisters. If his companymates were to see him in the last 20 years of his life, they would realize that Eric did indeed “lose 13 hairs a day” from studying, as Joe Zellmer predicted in Eric’s 1983 Howitzer entry. When they roomed together, Joe would marvel at his nearly black-with-formulas engineering WPR “cheat sheets.” Eric’s tenacity in his bouts with the Dean was legendary.

That trademark grit and determination had the other three of the “Four ****-Birds” predicting Eric would achieve success in the Army. So, when he announced to Joe, Billy Dispoto, and Billy Groeger towards the end of firstie year that he planned to forgo much of his post-commissioning summer leave to report to Fort Knox, KY early for the Armor Officer Basic Course (AOBC), they were believers.

Arriving at Fort Riley, KS in the summer of 1983 after AOBC, Eric excelled with A Company, 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment. According to Colonel Mike Shaler (Retired), his battalion commander in the “Strike” battalion, “[Eric] was the kind of officer you want to be around as a battalion commander. He was one of the officers who made it all worthwhile.” Sergeant Major William E. Long remembered his service in 3rd Squadron, 8th Cavalry, this way: “Served with Captain Smidt in Gelnhausen, Germany. He was a good officer.”

Eric completed 12 years on active duty, including the Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm). As a tank company commander, he participated in the famous “Left Hook” turning movement up through Saudi Arabia and into the western Iraqi desert. He was part of the bold stroke that ensured the defeat of Saddam Hussein’s forces in 1991. Transferring to the U.S. Army Reserve in 1995, Eric joined the U.S. Marshals Service in Michigan.

Eventually finding his way back to Southern California after 14 years of service to the nation, including two as a U.S. Marshal, the newly married Major Smidt found himself once again the low man on the totem pole. Taking up temporary residence with Captain Robert (Retired) and Mrs. Smidt resulted in a chagrined Major Smidt performing additional duties. Nevertheless, father and son would watch the big game together and loyally cheer on their respective teams.

While deployed as an Army Reservist in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, now Lieutenant Colonel Smidt briefed then Major General Vince Brooks ’80. General Brooks allowed that Eric’s was “the best briefing I have had since I got here.”

Eric also excelled throughout his 18 years as a marshal. The “Gentleman Giant” sought the most challenging cases and guarded the most dangerous prisoners. Eric’s calm demeanor belied an iron will that sometimes manifested in what Frenchie Lesieur called “the look.” He could be ferocious. Whether it was on the football field—in high school, he broke an opposing player’s helmet with a forearm shiver—or performing his duties as an Army officer or U.S. Marshal, Eric was all in.

Frenchie Lesieur’s Celebration of Life comments say it all:

“Eric was kind, compassionate, committed, candid, fair, loving, smart, funny, and honorable. He loved our country, the Army, West Point, and, most importantly, his beautiful family. Combining these admirable qualities with physical and mental toughness, Eric would not hesitate to march to the sound of the guns to help others. He was a true American soldier, warrior, and hero!”

One can best summarize Eric’s life based on his priorities: first to his family, then to the military and law enforcement communities, and finally to history that fascinated him. But, despite a lifetime of dedication to making the world a safer place, a contribution that speaks to his selflessness, his family made Eric proudest. Twenty-four years of marriage to his beloved Desirae and two fine sons, to him, were the most important of his many accomplishments.

Eric is survived by his mother, brothers, loving wife (Desirae), and sons Brandon and Bobby. Lastly, perhaps fittingly, he is buried alongside his naval officer father, Robert, at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.

Happiness is not fame or riches or heroic virtues, but a state that will inspire posterity to reflect upon our life, that it was the life they would wish to live. — Herodotus

Be Thou at Peace.