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On October 2, 2025, military funeral honors were conducted for U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Frederick Smith in Section 34 of Arlington National Cemetery.
Smith served for four years in the Marines, including two tours of duty in Vietnam. In 1966, he became a platoon leader with the 1st Marine Division in Chu Lai, South Vietnam. Due to a shortage of officers, he soon became commander of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines despite still being a lieutenant. Smith and his company would participate in the major battle for Hue City, one of the longest and bloodiest of the war.
“They were the finest group of young men you could ever have,” Smith said during an event at the Pentagon in 2014. “…courageous beyond belief -- and the memory of that is with me every day of my life.”
During his second tour, Smith, now a captain, served as a forward air controller with Marine Observation Squadron 2.
Following his military service, Smith launched Federal Express in 1973, which grew from a small startup to the world’s largest express transportation company. Smith credits the success of FedEx with what he learned while serving in the Marine Corps.
“Lessons learned during Vietnam played over and over in my mind when we developed the business plan,” Smith said at that same 2014 Pentagon event.
The principles of service and of the U.S. Marine Corps stayed with Smith for all the years that followed and allowed him to build not just a successful business, but a powerful legacy.
U.S. Army Video by Daryl Vaca
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2025 10:09 |
| Category: | Video Productions |
| Video ID: | 984922 |
| VIRIN: | 251003-A-YL265-4807 |
| Filename: | DOD_111350882 |
| Length: | 00:03:12 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Downloads: | 4 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 4 |
This work, A Powerful Legacy: From Marine to Shipping Giant, by Daryl Vaca, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
