Marine dies in Afghanistan
Thursday, July 8, 2004
Daniel B McClenney, a Marine and grandson of longtime World Champion Horse Equipment employee Harold Smith, died June 24 while fighting in Afghanistan. He was 19.
A native of Flat Creek, Tenn., McClenney died supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was deployed in early May.
Harold Smith is currently leather cutter and quality control associate for World Champion Horse Equipment in Shelbyville, Tenn., and has been with the company for over 20 years, according to manager Steve Morrow. The horse equipment company is a division of Dabora Inc., which owns The Walking Horse Report, The Saddle Horse Report and Horse World magazine.
“Over the years Harold has been one of the most loyal, dedicated, hardworking, polite employees I’ve had and couldn’t be a nicer person to work with. He’s indispensable, and I don’t know what I’ll do when he decides to hang up his spurs,” Morrow said of Smith. He added that Smith can cut leather from memory and is a true craftsman.
Smith’s daughter, Veda McClenney, died of cancer in 2001. Daniel was her son, and he was especially close to his grandfather.
The funeral for McClenney was held Friday at the Fairlane Church of Christ in Shelbyville, Tenn.
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