Photo By Capt. Lauren Orr | The Adjutant General of Kansas, Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, gives his opening remarks at...... read more read more
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TOPEKA, Kan. – Three new members were inducted into the Kansas National Guard Hall of Fame, Nov. 3, during an induction ceremony held at the Nickell Armory in Topeka.
This year’s honorees were Capt. James A Naismith, Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Romans and Capt. William A Smith.
The Adjutant General of Kansas, Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, gave his opening remarks at the start of the ceremony.
“Today we recognize three special individuals whose contributions and dedication to this great state will forever influence future generations of men and women who serve in the National Guard.”
Following Tafanelli’s speech, video biographies were shown highlighting key points in the honorees military careers. Naismith’s was the first shown.
Naismith famously invented basketball, a game that would become a national pastime, but there is so much more to his life story. One of his proudest accomplishments was serving in the Kansas National Guard.
In 1916, he was commissioned as a captain to be a chaplain in the Kansas National Guard with the 1st Kansas Infantry Regiment. During this year the unit mobilized to support the Mexican Border War. They were stationed in a remote location in Texas to protect America from possible guerrilla attacks. The Soldiers spent four months isolated and saw no signs of combat.
Although the Soldiers didn’t encounter combat, Naismith still had his hands full as a chaplain. As the chaplain he conducted services for the unit and helped Soldiers handle homesickness. The 1st Kansas Infantry Regiment returned home after four months and Naismith returned to his duties at the University of Kansas and as a Guardsman.
Naismith was 55 years old when the United States entered World War I and was therefore too old to deploy, but he found another way to serve his country. He went to work as a volunteer chaplain with the YMCA and traveled across the United States to conduct programs and strengthen the morale and character of the Soldiers.
The YMCA even sent Naismith to France where he worked as an overseas secretary in the war zone and spent most of his time on the front line helping to improve the social hygiene of the troops. Naismith spent 19 months in France and stayed after the armistice on Nov. 11, 1918 assisting American Soldiers as they prepared to return home.
Naismith served as the athletic director of the University of Kansas until his retirement in 1937. He will always be known as the inventor of basketball, but he always saw his time in uniform and serving the military as one of his most significant accomplishments.
The next video biography played highlighted the career of Capt. William A. Smith.
Smith attended Washburn University School of Law and started practicing in his hometown of Valley Falls, Kansas. One June 22, 1916, Smith enlisted with Company B, 2ndRegiment, Kansas Volunteer Infantry, and served in Texas along the Mexican border. Smith, who was known as Captain Bill by his Soldiers, was promoted to captain and was a platoon leader during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I.
The Meuse-Argonne was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire Western Front. On the second day of the Meuse-Argonne, his company in the 139th only made the slightest advance by about 50 yards when Bill rose to his full stature and yelled “Come on men, we’re gonna have a helluva’ fight!” It lasted a total of 47 days and was one of the deadliest battles in American history, with over 26,000 Soldiers being killed in action.
By Oct. 1, 1918, the 139th was relieved by elements of the 1st Infantry Division after sustaining 65% casualties. Upon returning home after his service during World War I, he was appointed assistant attorney for the Kansas Utilities Commission. In 1926, Smith ran for attorney general for the state of Kansas and showed his convictions yet again by being the only candidate out of seven to denounce the Ku Klux Klan. He was elected and then re-elected in 1928. During his tenure as attorney general, Smith continued to oppose the KKK and worked to revoke its corporate charter.
In 1930 Smith became a Kansas Supreme Court justice where he served for 26 years. On March 1, 1956, Smith became the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Kansas. During his tenure with the court, he wrote over 1,000 opinions. He is remembered for his legacy of public service, and commitment to justice.
Sarah S. Barr, Smith’s granddaughter, was present to accept his certificate and to speak on his behalf.
“To my brother and sister and me,” Barr began, “William Smith was just Grandpa Judge. He played with us, he listened to us read aloud, he helped this left-hander with her handwriting. He talked to us about politics, justice and equality. He talked to us about always standing up for the underdog. But clearly he was so much more to so many people. My family appreciates the efforts of this organization in keeping our grandfather’s story alive.”
Up next, Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Romans’ video played.
Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Romans spent his early years growing up in a family of four boys in Ysleta, Texas. When Romans was five years old, his family moved to Kansas where he stayed until he was old enough to voluntarily enlist and serve during the Vietnam War.
He enlisted in the Navy as a hospital corpsman in October 1969 and served for four years. He became the first non-marine service member to attend and graduate from the Marine Corps. Commissioned Officer School in 1970.
Romans eventually took the opportunity to start a new chapter of his life and joined the Alaska National Guard where he served as the civilian medical technician at Air Force radar sites in Alaska for two years. Defense technology changes within his field of work soon prompted another move for Romans.
Romans pursued an auto racing career in California, but eventually found himself back in Kansas with his family where he re-entered military service in the Kansas Army National Guard.
Romans joined the Kansas Guard in January 1987 as an armor crewman with the 635th Armor. He graduated as an honor student from his Military Occupational Specialties school and quickly move into a tank commander position. He volunteered to deploy in support of Operation Desert Storm in February 1991.
Romans spent the next 10 years working as the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Kansas National Guard’s counterdrug program while simultaneously working his way through the ranks of the 635th to Command Sgt. Maj. He was mobilized to Kosovo in 2004 and later deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008.
Romans returned from Iraq and served the rest of his time in the Kansas Guard in the counterdrug program before retiring in 2009. Romans has built his career and life around his dedication to his country and those he served with.
Following the video, Romans took the stage to accept his certificate and to make his remarks.
“Funny thing about my combat experiences, you think you know how you’re going to perform and you always hope you’ll give it your best,” Roman said. “I think I was fortunate because I was not physically afraid, my biggest fear and my solemn prayer was God please don’t let me let my crew down. The hall of fame is about the team and setting examples for those who follow. Those examples were set for me. I look around the room at all these remarkable leaders who impacted my career. Incredible. I have been privileged to stand in formation with some of the best leaders on the planet.”
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2020 13:35 |
| Story ID: | 357667 |
| Location: | TOPEKA, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 88 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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