Harry Leslie Smith, World War II veteran and prominent social voice, dead at 95
The New York Daily NewsNov 28, 2018
He was 95.
"I am back home to our home and I (am) alone," Smith's son, John, tweeted from his father's account. "It is 4:36 in the morning and I am wrapped in the blanket that covered him as he lay dying. And, I know exactly what my steps are. I will follow in his footsteps. I will endeavour to finish his projects."
The
Born in 1923, Smith and his family endured poverty during his youth and lived through the Great Depression.
Smith served in World War II as a member of
Decades later, Smith garnered a following on social media, where he often shared his political and social viewpoints. He drew more than 250,000 followers on Twitter and began a podcast -- titled "Harry's Last Stand" -- in 2017, when he was 94.
He was also a strong supporter of
"We will all miss
Smith made it his mission to visit refugees in recent years, starting a fundraiser in
"For close to one hundred years, I have witnessed humanity at its best and worst," Smith wrote in the fundraiser description. "And right now in this present age, mankind is in one of its most difficult stages. It's why I need your help today, so that I can complete the last great challenge of my existence before ld age consumes me. I am one of the last few remaining voices left from a generation of men and women who built a better society for our children and grandchildren out of the horrors of the Second World War as well as the hunger of the Great Depression."
Smith spent much of his life living in
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