When Susan Smith received the tri-folded American flag that had been draped over the casket of her husband, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Norman Harold Smith, she held it to her chest and did not let go until the end of her husband’s funeral service.
The service took place on the rainy day of March 5, 2025, in Section 55 of Arlington National Cemetery. The funeral procession included a Marine holding a red flag with three white stars, representing Smith’s rank, and a caparison horse with backward boots in its stirrups, symbolizing a fallen warrior. Chaplain (Adm.) Carey Cash delivered prayers over the casket, followed by 15 cannon shots, the appropriate honor for a lieutenant general.
Smith spent his whole adult life in the Marine Corps. He earned his commission in 1955 through officer candidate school and served two tours in Vietnam. On his second tour, he fought during the 1968 Tet Offensive, a general uprising of Viet Cong forces against American and South Vietnamese forces throughout South Vietnam. He then served in various leadership positions and completed his service as the Marine Corps’ deputy chief of staff for manpower and reserve affairs, retiring in 1991.
At the service, family and friends remembered him fondly. Sam Fernandez, Smith’s brother-in-law, said he appreciated talking to Smith about his time in Vietnam, including successful defenses against North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attacks.
Laura Griffin, who met Smith through the Iwo Jima Association of America, called him a “gentle warrior.” “He was always just a gentleman,” she said. “He was a patriot, a family man and just a really great person whom we all admired.”
The Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, presented the flag to Smith’s widow. “I have a deep respect for what he did for the Marine Corps,” he said. “He’s a real hero for our country.”
