Marine Sgt. David J. Smith

Died January 26, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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25, of Frederick, Md.; assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Jan. 26 from wounds received Jan. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

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Reserve NCO dies from combat wounds

Staff report

A California-based reservist has died from wounds suffered in Afghanistan, the Pentagon reported Feb. 1.

Sgt. David J. Smith, 25, of Frederick, Md., died Jan. 26. He was wounded three days earlier while supporting combat operations in Helmand province.

Smith, who enlisted Dec. 29, 2003, was assigned to Company B, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., and served as a light armored vehicle crewman.

He deployed to Iraq from 2006-07 and was on his first deployment to Afghanistan.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal.

No other information was immediately available.

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Marine to be buried at Arlington

The Associated Press

FREDERICK, Md. — A 25-year-old Marine from Frederick who was mortally wounded in Afghanistan will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Pentagon says Sgt. David Smith died Jan. 26 at a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered Jan. 23 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

A funeral service will be conducted Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. at the Frederick Christian Fellowship Church Complex. Burial at Arlington will start at 3 p.m.

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Was the life of the party

The Associated Press

David Smith loved to dance — and when he stepped onto a dance floor, people made sure to make room.

His girlfriend, Kimberly Mott, said Smith loved to be the center of attention, recalling the way he danced at his sister’s wedding last summer.

“He always wore a hat, and he would always incorporate the brim of the hat with the dancing,” Mott said. “Even if he didn’t have a hat, he would pretend it was there.”

Smith, 25, of Frederick, Md., was critically wounded Jan. 23 in a suicide attack in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He died of his injuries three days later. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton, Calif., and was pursuing a degree from East Carolina University.

The Marine always wanted to make a difference, which is why he went to Iraq in 2006 and volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan.

His desire began as a child: He spent hours pretending to rescue his older sister from danger and always wanted to be a heroic soldier when playing with his younger brother, Daniel Brown.

“We would always tear up my mom’s basement, make forts out of cushions and everything, and fight each other and shoot each other,” Brown said. “And he’d get wounded and I’d fix him up.”

Smith also is survived by his mother, Mary Jane McWilliams, and his father, Leonard Smith.