Forrest Smith
Posted: August 30, 2024
Forrest Parkhurst Smith entered the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on June 25th, 2024, at the age of 71.
Forrest was born in Rapid City, SD on September 1st of 1952, the oldest child of Lynn P. and Nancy
(Kilgore) Smith. He graduated from S.D. Lee High School in Columbus, MS and enrolled at
Mississippi State University (MSU) in 1970, where he was a proud member of Sigma Chi Order.
Faith, family, country and MSU sports were extremely important to Forrest. He had a deep, abiding faith that never wavered, and he lived out his faith in his daily life. That same faith sustained him through the physical challenges of the last 30 months of his life on this earth.
Forrest was a humble man. Few knew of his many accomplishments during his 21-year Air Force career. His ability to put “bombs on target” with an error rate of zero was a feat few bombardiers in the history of Strategic Air Command achieved. His consistent exemplary work over the years caught the notice of then-Mississippi Senator “Sonny” Montgomery. In 1992, he was asked by the commander, Air Mobility Command, to represent the Air Force in transitioning a Mississippi Air National Guard unit from RF-4 fighter aircraft to the KC-135 in Meridian, MS.
Forrest also commanded the 608th Combat Operations Squadron at Barksdale AFB, LA, where he and over 60 personnel provided combat support to in-theater air operation centers to execute air missions for the commander.
In 1998, his last official position was as the chief of combat operations in Southwest Asia, where he controlled offensive and defensive weapon systems to achieve control of the air space. Forrest managed US and Coalition aircraft operations for ten different air bases and the Battle Carrier Groups, USS ENTERPRISE and USS CARL VINSON, to enable execution of over 8,000 combat and support sorties.
Forrest’s knowledge and expertise led him to work as an Air Force consultant for almost 20 years after retiring from the Air Force. During that time, he worked tirelessly to help develop and enhance command and control capabilities to ensure the U.S. stayed the premier air, space and cyberspace force. Forrest loved his work alongside his wife, Pam, and – he would say – “the finest men and women he had the privilege to work with.”
Forrest enjoyed all aspects of Mississippi State sports and was a huge fan of the bulldogs. Two of his MSU highlights were seeing the baseball team win the College World Series in 2021 and the 2014 football team making it to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Forrest was preceded in death by his parents, Lynn and Nancy Smith; and younger brother, Newton Smith. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Pamela Smith; and his children, Sarah Smith, Parker Smith, his daughter-in-law, Theresa Smith; and his pride and joy, his darling granddaughter, Evelyn Smith. He is also survived by his sister, Katy Houston (Jamie III); and brothers, Austin Smith (Amy) and Norwood Smith (Robin); his brother-in-law, Mark Morrison; and sister-in-law, Cathy Reed (Chuck); and cousins, Jon Kilgore (Ann) and Elizabeth Jensen (Eric).