Historic archive of items deriving from the personal collection Larry ‘Bruce’ Smith, a veteran of the United States Navy who served as a pallbearer during the state funeral ceremonies of President John F. Kennedy. Smith, then an 18-year-old Seaman Apprentice (SA) in the Navy’s Honor Guard, was one of nine men selected as part of the Joint Casket Bearer Team, which consisted of one officer, one NCO, and seven enlisted men from each branch of the Armed Forces. The team was trained to carry the casket to and from the ceremony sites and to fold the flag which draped the casket following the internment service. They moved in cadence as a single unit, keeping the casket level and at waist height, maintaining dignity and solemnity.
The Joint Casket Bearer Team: 1st Lt. Samuel R. Bird, Sgt. James L. Felder, and SP/4 Douglas Mayfield of the Army; L/Cpl. Timothy Cheek and PFC Jerry J. Diamond of the Marine Corps; SA Larry B. Smith and SA Hubert Clark of the Navy; S/Sgt. Richard E. Gaudreau of the Air Force; and YN/2 George A. Barnum of the Coast Guard.
The archive is as follows:
Three articles of clothing worn by Smith throughout the funeral ceremonies: a pair of off-white military uniform gloves; an off-white cloth uniform belt with brass snap fastener and reverse stamped with faded part number; and a brass “Ceremonial Guard” belt buckle with raised image of the Fouled Anchor of the United States Navy, with reverse engraved “084.”
An Army Commendation Medal issued to Smith, consisting of a bronze hexagonal medallion with an embossed design of an American bald eagle with wings spread horizontally, grasping in its talons three crossed arrows; and the reverse engraved “Larry B. Smith,” with raised text: “For Military Merit.” The medal is suspended from a green-and-white ribbon and is accompanied by a matching pin and color bar.
An official certificate from the Department of the Navy conferring the Army Commendation Medal, one page, 12 x 10, dated February 6, 1964, which reads: “This is to certify that the Secretary of the Army has awarded the Army Commendation Medal to Seaman Apprentice Larry B. Smith…for Meritorious Achievement, 22 November 1963 to 25 November 1963.” Signed at the conclusion by Secretary of the Army Stephen Ailes and Major General Joe C. Lambert.
A 7-inch reel-to-reel tape and a pair of cassette tapes containing audio of the Kennedy state funeral and its various ceremonies, made for Smith by 1st Lt. Infantry Samuel R. Bird, the OIC of the Joint Casket Bearer Team.
A 5-page letter of recommendation from Bird to the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion (Reinf) 3d Infantry, dated December 10, 1963, with subject: “After action report, joint casket team-state funeral, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.” In addition to endorsing the pallbearers for commendation, the letter also describes in detail the many events involved with the Kennedy state funeral, from the removal of the president’s casket from the Air Force One to the final funeral services at Arlington. The letter is signed at the conclusion by Bird.
A TLS from Adjutant General L. E. Hagood, one page, February 7, 1964, Headquarters, Department of the Army letterhead, which pertains to “Seaman Apprentice Larry B. Smith, USN” and approves his receipt of the Army Commendation Medal.
A ballpoint signature, “Larry B. Smith,” on an off-white 6.25 x 3.5 card stamped “Pallbearers.”
A collection of 32 photocopies of photos of the casket team at Arlington National Cemetery and a few other locations, many of which depict Smith, accompanied by their original mailing envelope and transmittal letter from the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library.
A color glossy 6 x 4 photo of Smith carrying the JFK casket; and a glossy 10 x 8 photo of Smith receiving his Army Commendation Medal. In overall very good to fine condition, with wear and staining to letters and certificate, and expected wear from use to clothing.
Smith had not served with the Navy a full year when Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas’ Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963. He was assigned to the Navy’s honor guard immediately out of basic training and soon assisted at joint-service functions on the White House lawn when the president welcomed foreign dignitaries; these events enabled Smith to meet Kennedy, albeit briefly, on a few occasions. Additionally, part of the 18-year-old’s honor guard duty was to perform at military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, ceremonies to which he attended with frequency. But never for a president.
When the initial shock of the assassination had subsided, training for the funeral began in haste, with Smith and his fellow eight pallbearers drilling in the dark by walking up and down the steps of the Memorial Amphitheater behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. To replicate the weight of the president’s 1,300-pound coffin, they filled their casket with heavy sandbags and marched repeatedly, preparing for the 36-step climb to the Capitol where Kennedy would lie in state.
Over the next three days, Smith and the other pallbearers performed flawlessly, oftentimes before the entire country—it's estimated that 93% of homes with televisions watched the JFK funeral, which was the largest viewing audience ever recorded to that point. As part of the Joint Casket Bearer Team, Smith carried the president’s coffin a total of nine times: from ambulance to morgue, from morgue to hearse, from hearse to White House, from White House to Caisson, from Caisson to Capitol, from Capitol to Caisson, from Caisson to St. Matthew’s Cathedral, from St. Matthew’s Cathedral to Caisson, and from Caisson to the grave site at Arlington National Cemetery. Supported by superb provenance, this remarkable collection from a JFK pallbearer adds a unique perspective to one of America's most poignant and somber chapters.
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