Editing Walter Bedell Smith (section)

==Military Career and World War II==
Smith’s military ascent was marked by determination and strategic acumen. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1916, he served on the Mexican border during the Pancho Villa Expedition. In 1917, he transferred to the regular Army, earning a commission as a first lieutenant. During World War I, he joined the 4th Infantry Division and saw combat in France in 1918, where he was wounded by shrapnel at St. Mihiel, earning a Purple Heart. The injury ended his frontline service, but he remained in the Army, attending the Infantry School at Fort Benning and the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth in the 1920s.

Between the wars, Smith held various assignments, including as an instructor at the Infantry School (1929–1933) and a staff officer in the Philippines (1933–1935). In 1939, he was appointed assistant to the secretary of the General Staff in Washington, D.C., working under George C. Marshall, who became a mentor. Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1940, Smith’s organizational skills caught the attention of Dwight D. Eisenhower, then a rising officer.

During World War II, Smith’s career soared. In 1941, he joined Marshall’s staff as secretary of the War Department General Staff, earning a promotion to colonel. In 1942, Eisenhower, now commanding U.S. forces in Europe, selected Smith as his chief of staff for the European Theater of Operations. Promoted to brigadier general, Smith coordinated logistics, strategy, and diplomacy for major campaigns, including the invasions of North Africa (1942), Sicily (1943), and Normandy (1944). 

His meticulous planning and ability to manage Allied coalitions—often mediating between American, British, and French commanders—earned him the nickname “Eisenhower’s hatchet man.” He was promoted to major general in 1943 and lieutenant general in 1945. Smith signed the German Instrument of Surrender on May 7, 1945, in Reims, France, on behalf of Eisenhower, a defining moment of his career. His wartime decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and honors from Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Smith was in Europe during the initial planning of Operation Gladio and the setting up of its stay behind network.