This collection (2016.089) consists of United States Navy records and other genealogical documents from the families
of Reva Jean Walcott Smith and Kyle Jerome Smith.

Biographical Information

Individuals and Ships mentioned in the records.

Kyle Jerome Smith was born on 7 July 1923 in North Dakota to William Edward and Mamie Crum Smith.  The family moved to West Salem, Polk County, Oregon sometime between 1935 and 1940.  Kyle enlisted in the United States Navy late in the war and began service in 1945.  He was assigned to the USS Clearfield (APA-142) for the duration of his one-year enlistment.  The collection includes a variety of photos and documentation of this time in Smith’s life.  Smith left the Clearfield in Seattle and was discharged on 8 January 1946.

Kyle married Reva Jean Wolcott on 10 Aug 1946.  The couple lived in Salem until 1984.  Kyle died on 1 August 1998.

Reva Jean Wolcott Smith was born on 17 August 1927 in South Dakota to Duane G. and Ida Bertha Weinert Wolcott.  Her family also relocated to West Salem, Polk County, Oregon sometime between 1935 and 1940.  In 1945, Wolcott was working for Miller’s Department Store in Salem when she won a Victory Loan contest and was made Marion County Victory Loan Queen.  Sponsored in part by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, the contest pitted representatives of various businesses in a contest to help sell war bonds.  As a result of the contest $1,412,725 worth of Victory Loan E series bonds were sold in Marion County!  Part of the collection documents showcases her time as queen.

Reva Jean Wolcott Smith’s older brother Keith Wolcott was also in the U.S. Navy, serving between December 1943 and January 1946.  He was assigned to PCE 874 (later named USS Pascagoula) for the duration of his service.  A pencil drawing of his ship is a part of this collection.  Keith was also born in Stickney, South Dakota on 24 March 1925.  After the war he would go on to work as a Highway Maintenance Supervisor for the State of Oregon.  He died in October 2005.

USS Clearfield: The Clearfield was a Haskell-class attack transport whose first operation cruise was from Port Hueneme, California, departing on 9 March 1945.  She made port in Pearl Harbor, Enwetok, Ulithi and Okinawa where she arrived 17 April 1945.  She returned to San Francisco to load Army replacements bound for Manila.  Clearfield next delivered occupation troops to Tokyo on 2 September 1945 – the day Japan formally surrendered.  After that it operated between Okinawa and Manila and ports in China, support the reoccupation of northern Chana by transporting Marines and Chinese troops.  She got underway for Tacoma, Washington, 2 December 11945 and, after an overhaul, sailed to Norfolk, arriving on 4 February 1946. Clearfield was decommissioned 4 March 1946, and returned to the War Shipping Administration 6 March 1946.

Left: USS Clearfield (APA-142), c. 1945.  WHC Collections 2016.089.0006 & 0009.  Right: Kyle Jerome Smith and mates (Smith is at far left of image).  WHC Collections 2016.089.0014

USS Pascagoula/PCE 874 left for first cruise out of San Diego through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean and South America.  In March of 1945 she left the Caribbean for service in the South Pacific — conducting defense patrols around the Philippine Islands.  She was in San Pedro Bay, Philippines when the Japanese surrender was announced.   After conducting several months of weather station patrols, PCE 874 returned to San Diego arriving on 31 Aug 1946.  On 16 Sept 1946, she sailed for New Orleans where she was decommissioned and became a training ship.

In Appreciation

Biographical and ship research conducted by Mike Nugent, August 2023

Collection cataloged by Mario Ramírez Galán, 2016