Page 60 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2026 - Online Magazine

Captain Smith and his brothers Part of the collection of Captain Smith

Chase’s interest was meaningful. One of Chase’s remarkable September 2, 1944, he was loaded
“She always supported what I did discoveries began with a World War onto a train bound for Germany—
and why I did it,” he says. “She II uniform he obtained—a U.S. Army but fate intervened. Belgian railway
believed it was important work.” Air Force pilot’s jacket bearing the workers sabotaged the train,
name Thomas P. Smith. preventing it from leaving Belgium.
That support laid the foundation for
the kind of dedication and purpose Through months of research using Just days later, as Brussels was
Chase brings to his research today. websites, military archives, and liberated on September 3–4, Smith
flight logs, Chase pieced together the and his fellow prisoners were freed.
Growing up in Lubbock, Texas, story of Captain Thomas P. Smith, After being interrogated in Paris to
Chase attended Trinity Christian a fighter pilot with the U.S. 8th Air verify his identity, he was flown back
High School before earning dual Force. to England on September 9, 1944.
degrees in Finance and Marketing
from Baylor University. Today, Smith flew escort missions over Remarkably, only a month later,
he works as a financial advisor at Europe in a P-47 Thunderbolt, Captain Smith was back in the air—
Edward Jones, alongside his father, protecting bombers from German this time flying the P-51 Mustang.
Jim, and brother, Grant. fighters. On April 11, 1944, during On November 21, 1944, he shot
one such mission, his aircraft ran down two German aircraft during
It’s a career he loves—helping people out of fuel, forcing him to crash-land a mission to Merseberg, Germany.
build their financial futures—but near Macou, France, close to the Over his service, he completed 74
outside the office, Chase devotes Belgian border. combat missions, destroyed two
countless hours to a different kind enemy fighters, damaged two others,
of legacy: uncovering the stories of Determined to evade capture, Smith and returned home safely in 1945.
those who fought for freedom. made his way into Belgium, where
brave locals—Jean Ravez, Lucien To Chase, uncovering Smith’s story
His collection of World War I and Duhaut, and Léon Lefebvre—risked was more than a research victory—
World War II memorabilia has their lives to shelter him. They it was a personal connection to
grown over the years, but it’s not provided him with food, false courage and resilience. “When you
just about the objects themselves. papers, and passage through an hold a uniform like that,” he says,
Each uniform, medal, or photograph underground escape network. “you realize you’re holding a piece
becomes a mystery to solve—a name of someone’s life—their sacrifice,
to connect with a story, and a story to But betrayal came before safety. their bravery, their story.”
connect with the human experience Smith was arrested and imprisoned
behind it. at Saint-Gilles Prison in Brussels. On

60 Lubbock Senior Link