Lt. Jerry R. Smith, 26, of Greenville, died Aug. 15 in a plane crash shortly after launching an E-2C Command and Control Aircraft from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. He and two other crew members perished in the Atlantic Ocean. After an exhaustive search by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, all were pronounced deceased.

He was born March 9, 1981, in Greenville, the son of Carroll and Fonda (Putnam) Smith. He attended school in Greenville and then transferred to Penobscot Valley High School in Howland to follow his dad and brother. He graduated from PVHS, where he played soccer and basketball, in 1999. He attended the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., and graduated in 2003.

Upon his graduation, he was commissioned in the U.S. Navy and was selected for naval aviation. Jerry (Granny) earned his wings in May 2006 by qualifying in solo flights from an aircraft carrier in the T-45A Goshawk jet. His carrier landing and takeoff training was to have been completed this week with the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120, based at Norfolk Naval Station.

He was scheduled to visit his family next week, celebrate the completion of his training and prepare for his first assignment.

His love of flying was his mission in life. With each flight, Jerry soared to heights that allowed him to whisk through angel wings and feel the breath of God on his face. He was a proud patriotic American, serving his country with dignity and honor.

His pleasant smile will be missed by everyone who knew him. He was a great man, leader and a very proud member of the U.S. Navy.

He is survived by his parents, Carroll and Fonda (Putnam) Smith of Greenville; his brother, Eric and his wife, Jill, and their children; Krystal and Kevin Levesque of Howland; his sister, Maria of Greenville; and his uncles, Vernon H. Smith and his wife, Nancy Smith, of Las Vegas, Nev., Dana C. Putnam and wife, Natalie, of Peru, and Ceylon E. Putnam III and his wife, Linda, of Peru; as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

He was predeceased by his grandparents; and aunts, uncles and cousins.