Judge John R. Smoak Jr.Cullum: 25887 Class: 1965 Cadet Company: K1 Date of Birth: May 11, 1943 Date of Death: May 2, 2022 Died in: Panama City, FL Interred: TBD - View or Post a Eulogy |
John Richard “Dick” Smoak Jr. was born May 11, 1943 in Columbus, GA and passed away peacefully in his home in Panama City, FL on May 2, 2022. He grew up an Army brat, the son of Colonel John Smoak Sr., living abroad but most memorably at Fort Benning, GA, a base that proved to be formative. As a youngster, he enjoyed watching the airborne troops. When not watching guys jumping from towers, he became fascinated with the intelligence and agility of racing pigeons, spending hours raising them, which probably took time away from his high school studies. While not a “high achiever,” his goal was to “be smart enough.” Others would demur, noting his subsequent achievements in law school and as a judge testify to how bright (and modest) he actually was. Widely read, he particularly enjoyed military history.
His Howitzer yearbook entry included a charming, prophetic comment, reflecting his upbringing and hinting at future opportunities: “There can be no doubt that Smoky will be an officer who has a great deal of ability and who will remain calm, composed and even friendly in any situation.”
Dick’s skills and demeanor were put to the test on his first tour in Vietnam, when he was assigned to a Special Forces “A-Team” as the XO, despite having no training for that kind of 12-man unit. His team operated in the III Corps area, conducting border surveillance and interdiction of infiltration routes between War Zones C and D. In that role, he had extensive contact with a wide variety of indigenous forces and Vietnamese Special Forces.
Subsequently, Dick commanded a training company in the states, using his experiences in Vietnam to prepare scores of young recruits for their service there and elsewhere in the world.
On his second tour in Vietnam, he once again faced a daunting challenge. Assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, he was given command of a company that had just been overrun by a VC battalion, suffering serious casualties: 37 KIA (including the company commander, the younger brother of classmate Hal Jenkins) and 60-plus wounded. Dick recovered the survivors in the field and encamped them at Cu Chi, where he received 75 brand new replacements, all of whom were E4 and below and new in-country.
Within a few days, he had them organized with weapons zeroed. They rejoined the battalion and prepared bunkers, defending a fire base under attack. In Vietnam, Dick also was selected to serve as an aide-de-camp to two different corps commanders: Lieutenant General Stilwell, a former USMA Commandant, and Lieutenant General Melvin Zais, father of classmate Barrie. Dick later acknowledged that the most painful, frustrating memories of his two tours centered on the loss of or injuries to brave, young soldiers while under his command.
After his five years of obligatory service ended, Dick left the Army and attended the College of Law at the University of Florida and then joined a law firm as an associate attorney. Between 1975 and 1991 he became a partner in several law firms; thereafter, he became a sole practitioner. Along the way, he met Pamela Pullman, a rising star in her own right, who was working as special assistant at the Department of the Treasury on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. They fell in love and married in 1976. Being a good lawyer, Dick convinced her to leave DC and join him in Panama City. Subsequently, Pamela became a Florida lawyer herself, and together they raised two daughters, Kathleen and Elizabeth.
In 2004, Florida Trend magazine named him as one of the state’s “Top Defense Lawyers.”
In June 2005, President George W. Bush nominated him to a seat as a federal district court judge in the Northern District of Florida. He was one of 11, out of 25 nominees, who received a unanimous “well-qualified” rating from the American Bar Association, and he was confirmed by a unanimous Senate vote in October 2005. The two Florida senators strongly endorsed Dick’s nomination, one quoting a citizen of Panama County: “Dick Smoak is simply one of the finest lawyers and finest men I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Describing Dick requires the use of words, such as integrity, character, and professionalism.” Dick served for 10 years as a judge, opting for semi-retired, senior status thereafter. Of the many roles he had as a judge, one that he particularly enjoyed was administering the Oath of Citizenship to new Americans, especially to refugees from Southeast Asia.
As with other significant moments in his life, Dick experienced extraordinary personal pain while being professionally recognized. He lost Pamela to cancer in August 2005, acknowledging that, were it not for taking on the new judgeship, her passing would have broken him. In 2018, he had to endure another loss, that of his older daughter, Kathleen.
At his investiture as a federal judge, a lifelong friend, First Sergeant Donald Joubert, paid tribute to Dick: “There’s something about when you serve with someone in combat, you become friends for life, no matter your stature or status…and you’re witnessing that here today, or I wouldn’t be here with all you judges.
“…and I would like to say in closing, there is no justice in this for me because I’ve been calling this man ‘sir’ all my life; now I have to call him ‘Your Honor.’”
— Jack Lyons ’65 and Smoak Family