Pallbearers carry the casket of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Scott Smith out of First Baptist Church in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., before transporting him to Chattanooga National Cemetery on Tuesday. Photo by Dan Henry /Times Free Press.
COLUMBUS—State Representative Tony Burkley (R-Payne) today introduced legislation to designate a portion of highway in Paulding County after a local military hero who was killed during a shootout in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this summer.
House Bill 406 would name the portion of US Route 127 stretching from the northern edge of Paulding to the intersection of US Route 127 and State Route 111 in Paulding County as the “U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith Memorial Highway.”
Born in Paulding in 1989 and a graduate of Paulding High School, PO2 Smith was shot while protecting his fellow servicemen on July 18th during an ambush at a recruiting center in Chattanooga. He died two days later.
“While nothing can change the events that occurred in Chattanooga, we do have an opportunity to properly honor this fallen hero,” said Burkley. “It is my hope that once enacted, this stretch of highway will stand as a reminder every day of the sacrifices from our men and women in uniform.”
After serving for three years as an active duty logistics specialist with the US Navy, Smith re-enlisted and was stationed at the Naval Operations Support Center in Chattanooga. There, he was responsible for training and transporting active duty Naval personnel. He was also very charitable, including giving his time to Stuff the Truck, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, cancer awareness programs, providing rescue assistance during Hurricane Sandy and donating Easter baskets to hospitalized children.
