LENNIE SMITH
Real Name: Lennie Smith
Identity/Class: Human (post-World
War II era)
Occupation: Soldier
Group Membership: U.S. Marines (Dog Company)
Affiliations: Captain Rocke, Specs Dugan
Enemies: Chinese army
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile in Korea during the Korean war
First Appearance: Marines in Battle I#25 (September, 1958)
Powers/Abilities: Lennie was a capable military combatant. He wielded a rifle and carried grenades. He demonstrated aptitude with detonating explosives.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 185 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
History:
(Marines in Battle I#25/5) - Lennie Smith and his pal "Specs" Dugan
were sent on patrol by Captain Rocke to collect intelligence for Dog
Company. The duo surprised a pair of Chinese soldiers and ordered the
men to raise their hands in the air. The enemy soldiers complied but,
as they did so, they hurled a pair of grenades at Lennie and "Specs."
Lennie swiftly reacted by kicking the grenades back at them, killing
them with their own explosives.
Continuing on their patrol, Lennie and "Specs" discovered an enemy bridge across a river and notified Captain Rocke via walkie-talkie. Captain Rocke ordered them to scout beyond the bridge and doing so, they found an enormous convoy of Chinese trucks headed down a road toward the bridge. Lennie and "Specs" contacted Captain Rocke and told him to hurry their forces toward the bridge before the enemy reached the other side.
Meeting up with the rest of their company on their side of the bridge, Lennie and "Specs" explained the situation. Rocke mused that, if they took the bridge, the Chinese could retake it with their superior numbers but, if they destroyed the bridge, it would stall their own advance across the river. As the Chinese forces reached the bridge and started sending forces across, Lennie and "Specs" climbed under the bridge to the opposite side and planted dynamite. Once half of the Chinese forces were on the bridge, they destroyed half of the bridge. This left the half of the Chinese force on the bridge cut off from their reinforcements. Captain Rocke and the rest of their company took the first half of the Chinese force prisoner. Checking the convoy trucks, they found rubber rafts and used them to get across the river and capture the second half of the force.
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Jay Scott Pike.
It seems clear that this story was drawn by Jay Scott Pike as a Combat Casey story. It was possibly shelved when Marvel briefly lost distribution around 1957. To disguise that it was originally a Combat Casey story, Casey was altered into "Lennie" and "Penny" P. Pennington into "Specs." Interestingly, Casey's superior officer Captain Rocke was not altered so this can be fit into the same continuity as Combat Casey's adventures.
This profile was completed 07/21/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Lennie should not be confused with:
"Specs" Dugan"Specs" Dugan was the glasses-wearing sidekick of Lennie Smith. Both men served in Captain Rocke's Dog Company of the US Marines in Korea during the Korean War. "Specs" carried a rifle and a walkie-talkie.
--Marines in Battle I#25/5
images: (without ads)
Marines in Battle I#25/5, page 1 (Lennie, main)
Marines in Battle I#25/5, page 2, panel 8 (Lennie, face)
Marines in Battle I#25/5, page 1 ("Specs")
Appearances:
Marines in Battle I#25/5 (September, 1958) - unidentified writer, Jay
Scott Pike (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 09/20/2026
Last updated:
07/21/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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