John Elizabeth Andersmith

This article is about the New Republic lieutenant. You may be looking for the religious alien.

John Elizabeth Andersmith
Titles(s)	Lieutenant
Nickname(s)	Smith
Characteristics
Armor Color	Sand with Blue trim
Species	Human
Weapon(s)	DMR, Magnum, Plasma Rifle
Professional Status
Affiliation(s)	New Republic Chorus
Occupation(s)	Law Enforcement Officer
Personal Status
Status	Active
Media
First Appearance	Oh Captains, My Captains
Voice Actor	Ryan Haywood

"My friends call me 'Smith'. I've served the New Republic faithfully for several years and I believe Captain Caboose is one of the wisest individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Sir!"

— John Smith in Teaming with Problems

Lieutenant John Elizabeth Andersmith, or simply referred to as Smith, is a New Republic soldier of Caboose's blue team squad. A disciplined and blindingly loyal recruit, Smith serves as a supporting character in Season 12 and Season 13.

Role in Plot

Training with the Reds and Blues

Smith is first seen in Oh Captains, My Captains, where he and his squadmates, commanded by Caboose, take involvement in a New Republic training exercise. Unfortunately, the exercise goes haywire due to Caboose, Simmons, and Grif's poor leadership. In Teaming with Problems, Smith is chosen to be a part of Caboose, Simmons, Grif, and Tucker's rescue team, along with Jensen, Bitters, and Palomo. As he introduces himself, Smith reveals he believes that Caboose is an extremely wise and great leader, shocking the others.

During several training exercises, the group attempt to capture Felix and record their attempts. Unfortunately, other Republic soldiers, and even the recruits, view the footage and laugh at the squad's constant mess-ups. Shortly after, Smith and the other Rebel soldiers discover a message from the Red and Blue captains, detailing their departure. After being informed of their supposed deaths, Smith is shown mourning their loss with Jensen, Palomo, and Bitters. Because of the "loss", Kimball leads the rebels to Armonia for one final confrontation with the Feds.

Learning the Truth

As the rebels arrive at the capital, Smith leads Bitters, Jensen, and Palomo deeper into the city. Unfortunately, the New Republic army are sealed inside the city and become surrounded by Doyle and the Federal Army. As the two armies engage each other, Smith and his teammates fend off several Feds, when suddenly a video recording of Felix confessing the Space Pirates' involvement in the war plays throughout various television screens in the city. This causes a cease fire between the Feds and Rebels, who finally learn the truth about the civil war's escalation.

Running laps thanks to Grif.

After the Feds and rebels form a truce, they pick up the Blood Gulch Crew and regroup at the New Republic HQ, where the recruits thank their captains for rescuing them, in which Smith proudly announces his full name: John Elizabeth Andersmith. A month later, Smith participates in a training exercise supervised by Washington, where he is ordered to run laps alongside the other lieutenants due to Grif's laziness, though he doesn't complain.

Afterward, Smith and several Feds and Rebels leave for a mission to attack the Space Pirates at Crash Site Alpha, after the destruction of their hybrid weapons. Upon arriving at Alpha, however, the assault team is ambushed by enemy reinforcements, forcing them to take refuge inside a shipwreck. After Simmons devises a plan of escape by using the ship's engine to create a smokescreen, Smith and the other lieutenants agree to help him. With Wash taking charge in the plan, he and the lieutenants manage to force Locus into cover, allowing their squad to release the smokescreen and escape.

Charon's Final Assault

After returning to Armonia, the Space Pirates execute an attack on the city. Under the General's orders, Smith and the lieutenants assist people in evacuating the city, starting by clearing out the hospital. There they encounter Dr. Grey and reveal the Blood Gulch Crew's plan to destroy Armonia and all the Space Pirates with it. Upon escaping the city, they regroup at Crash Site Bravo and grieve over the loss of Doyle, who sacrificed himself in order to complete the plan. Kimball later addresses the Feds and the Rebels and delivers an inspiring speech.

In the ship during the final battle with Charon.

Now united, the armies attack the pirates at the Communication Temple. Meanwhile, Smith, the other Lieutenants, and Dr. Grey infiltrate Crash Site Alpha and activate the tractor beam. The action brings down the Tartarus, destroying it and subsequently the Purge along with it. They then join the fight at the Comm. Temple and are quickly forced to take cover when Chairman Hargrove releases numerous Mantises. After the Blood Gulch Crew shut down the droids, Smith, the Lieutenants, Dr. Grey, Kimball, and the Freelancers fly to the Staff of Charon to evac the Reds and Blues on the ship.

Post-War

Ten months following the defeat of Charon Industries, Smith and the other New Republic lieutenants become police officers and investigate an incident involving IDA reporter Dylan Andrews and her injured cameraman Jax Jonez, with Smith deeply questioning Andrews on what she saw. The four officers then lead Andrews to General Doyle General Hospital, to see Jax's condition. Later on, Washington is sent to Chorus and is treated for his injured throat. After getting a call from the Reds and Blues, the lieutenants fly to Earth and reunite with the crew, informing them of Wash's recovery.

Personality

While intelligent and disciplined, Smith is shown to be a blindly loyal individual, specifically towards his dimwitted Captain, the New Republic, and later, Agent Washington. He is loyal to the point that he misinterprets whatever Caboose says to be ingenious. His blind loyalty somewhat mirrors Caboose's loyalty to Church. He is also shown to be very caring to others, giving Jensen a hug after being informed of the Reds' and Blues' supposed deaths. During the New Republic's infiltration of Armonia, Smith takes a somewhat leadership position of his partners and encourages them to fight for their captains and to stay focused. 

Following the war and being assigned to police officer, Smith is shown to be more laid-back, except for taking his job way too seriously to the point where he would need to be corrected by Bitters.

Trivia

• Smith states he has served the New Republic for many years in Teaming with Problems, implying he's one of the older members of the faction.
• Along with mirroring Caboose's intense unshakeable loyalty, Andersmith also seems to possess his (perhaps unnaturally) high strength and stamina. He was the only soldier among his friends to stay standing after Washington's disciplinary measures in Capital Assets.
• Smith's last name is Andersmith, a reference to the fake blue soldier that Epsilon made up in Season 9.
  • Interestingly enough, Andersmith is a real, yet very rare last name that means "born leader", which is similar to Smith taking a leadership position during the battle of Armonia, where he ordered his teammates to eliminate the Federal troops in their way.
  • In an event occurring before the Blood Gulch Chronicles, Vic becomes buggy as a result of Captain Flowers tripping over a cord, causing a list of Freelancer codenames switching to simulation troopers, with the final trooper being a 'Cornelius Thromwell Andersmith'. It is unknown if Smith is related to Cornelius.