Please sign the guestbook before leaving
 Mark Allyn Smith
Major (Ret)
Zippo
Capt.
CO
1966 to 1973
C Co.- 03/70 to 10/70
POW
1972 / 1973

"Message from the Boss to the members of "the Hunting Club".
 Men,
    We should all be honored by the fact MG Porter, and Colonel Harrison,
choose to be named on our roster. It was never lost on me that our ability
to operate as we did, was only made possible by the support provided by these good men, our Commanders.
    When in the Army, it is often written off as "brownnosing" when we speak kindly of those above us. But when true combat soldiers, such as yourselves, speak well of these good men, I can assure you, they take it as the highest honor which can be given them. After thirty years I remain supremely proud of each of you. I consider your continuing loyalty to be more important than any other honor or award bestowed on me. I am certain they feel the same.
    Recently, Lieutenant General (Retired) James Hollingsworth, the famed "Danger 79er", who had nurtured me as a young Sergeant, and later recommended me for the Medal of Honor, for the Battle of Loc Ninh 1972, said "I love you Zippo." For this great warrior of many wars and battles to tell me that at age 83, made the simple trials and tribulations of being a good soldier worth it all. In the end, as the years move so swiftly by, the true devotion of your fellow soldiers becomes the defining element of what our lives really meant, and continue to mean. What these good men are telling you is simply; "You were different and served with distinction." You gave all of us, especially me, too much credit for it all.      
    What Ben Harrison, Bobby Porter and I have always known is that it was you good men yourselves, who made us look good and not the other way around. What makes these senior men different is their ability, and willingness to say it.
    The mark of a true Soldier.

  Zippo
   The Battle of Loc Ninh - The callsign of the American on the ground who seemed to be holding
                                                 it all together was Zippo...............

     After Action Report : The battle of Loc Ninh ~ 4 - 7 April 1972
         AIM Report     Here's a bombshell story you haven't seen in the national media.
                                            Reed Irvine, Editor  -   Joseph C. Goulden, Associate editor
      ABOUT ZIPPO (from Zippo's Corner)     ZIPPO'S CORNER

      Yves Michel Dumond - French Journalist & Vietnam War Ex-POW with ZIPPO

An E-mail sent to Charlie Co. - Dec. 2000
from: Zippo Smith
Date: 01 December, 2000 05:15

       Well, well after all these years I finally get a chance to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to
       all of you good men. You will never know how much it means to hear from each of you. That time in C
       Company has always been one of the high lights of my life. You guys, always thought it was because of me
       you did so well for the Army and your country, but it was because of you. I was honoured to serve beside
       you in an honorable endeavor.
       GOD bless you all. CURRAHEE!
             THE ZIP HIMSELF

Thanks to Chuck "Double Deuce Doc" Kerr for these pictures of Capt. Mark "Zippo" Smith.
Zippo at home in HIS element
Zippo with his AK47.
Here he is with a Colonel(?) who's call sign is "Checkmate".
Here's Zippo. either thinking about a past kill or dreaming about the next.
Photo from Doug "Moni" Moniaci.
Zippos last act of defiance as a POW was to steal his rice bowl, sandals,tooth brush, and uniform......here they are on display at the US Army Infantry Museum,
 Fort Benning,Ga.                                                                                        Photo from Chuck Kerr
                                                             Zippo: Downtown Hue                (From- M. Hendrickson)
Zippo & Chief
                 Chief,           Chicken Man       ZIPPO
(Photos from Matthew Budziszewski)