Complex sentence: Smith was born in Long Beach on Aug.27,1916, grew up in Bakersfield and Los Angeles, and spent some time in the Civilian Conservation Corps before joining the United States Merchant Marine at age 21.
Split into simpler sentences: Smith was born in Long Beach on Aug.27,1916 and grew up in both Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Following high school, Smith spent some time in the Civilian Conservation Corps before joining the United States Merchant Marine at age 21.