April 30, 1945

World War II hero Colonel William O. Darby of Fort Smith (Sebastian County) was killed by an enemy shell in Italy, only two days before enemy forces in Italy surrendered. Darby was the founder of the famous ranger battalions, and to train his rangers, he established a rigorous program of live ammunition training, long speed marches, cliff climbing, and obstacle courses. Darby was originally buried in a military cemetery outside of Cisterna, Italy, but on March, 11, 1949, his body was returned to Arkansas and reinterred at the Fort Smith National Cemetery, just a few blocks from his boyhood home.