e was experiencing as a perfect example of the American high-tech industrial base not being able to find solutions to the most obvious economic problems. Perry 6 Conceptually, Smith had identified an opportunity. The great unknown to him was how he would work out the mechanics of implementing his idea. Since he was both optimistic and nave, there was no chance that he was going to worry himself to death over a lot of details. Over all, he thought of himself as an idea man, not a detail man. He seemed to believe things would work out (OS 102). History of FEFred Smith was raised by his mother in Memphis, Tennessee. Very interested in military history and aviation, he learned to fly at age 15. He went on to attend Yale University. Feeling pre-ordained and also with a sense of duty, Smith joined the Marine Corps reserve and would later serve tours in Vietnam. Vietnam was an awakening for Smith. Unlike his childhood where he associated with the youth of privilege, in Vietnam, he associated with the less privileged men, watched their courage, and shared their agony and death. He credits an African American platoon sergeant for helping him to understand what enlisted men think and want. Reminiscing about Vietnam, Smith credits the lessons he learned from this sergeant with enabling him to understand the concerns of rank-and-file employees in the early years of Federal Express (OS 87). In 1965, as a Yale graduate, Smith wrote a term paper about the passenger route systems used by most airfreight shippers, which he viewed as economically inadequate. Smith stated that what was needed was a system designed specifically for air freight that could accommodate time-sensitive shipments such as medicines, computer parts and Perry 7electronics. He identified the tremendous difficulty in getting packages and other air freight delivered within a day or two. This problem motivated him to do the necessary research for resolving the i...
