A WKU graduate believed to have been held as a prisoner of war longer than any other Kentuckian has died at the age of 85.
The Courier-Journal reports Col. Dewey Lee Smith of Louisville passed away this week while on vacation in Alabama.
Smith served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. The plane he was flying was shot down June 2, 1967, over North Vietnam. Smith was captured and held as a P.O.W. for nearly six years until his release on March 4, 1973.
He was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Purple Heart.
Smith was commissioned a second lieutenant through the WKU Air Force ROTC program in 1953, and joined active duty later that year. He also played on the WKU football team.
