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Dave Smith

Released In Exile
Date of birth:1946
Age:80
Gender:Male
Race:White
Era:1970s
State:Texas
Time Imprisoned:
6 Months
In Exile For 8 years 20 days
Support
Anti-War
No image available

Biography

Dave Smith was a United States Army soldier and Russian-language specialist. In 1969 he went absent without leave for 30 days due to his opposition to the war and served six months in the Army stockade. When ordered to deploy to Vietnam, Smith instead traveled under a friend’s name to Denmark and then Sweden, where he received humanitarian asylum and later became a Swedish citizen.

Case

Charges: Absence without leave and later desertion from the United States Army during the Vietnam War
Incarcerated: 1969
In exile since: 1969
Exile ended: Jan 21, 1977
Sentence: Six months in an Army stockade after a 30-day absence without leave; exact entry and release dates have not been located.