Photo By Master Sgt. Kelly Ogden | Senior Airman Bryan Smith, a structures engineer with the 820th RED HORSE Squadron,...... read more read more
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BELIZE CITY, Belize - “Proud would be an understatement,” the Airman said about how his family felt about him joining the military. “It was the first time I’d ever seen my step-dad tear up.”
He said he felt a little pushed into the military since his grandfather was Air Force, his father was a Marine and his step-father was Navy.
But, ultimately it was his decision and he embraced it.
That was three years ago.
Senior Airman Bryan Smith, a structures engineer with the 820th RED HORSE Squadron, Las Vegas, said that he chose the structures career field because he liked being outside, liked carpentry and was interested in making it a hobby.
So far, the work aspect of structures is going really well, but the hobby portion needs a little more time to develop.
“I tried to make a miniature grandfather clock, which turned into a case to shove all my golf balls in,” he quipped.
Joking aside, Smith works hard.
Today, you’ll find him on his first deployment in Belize in support of the U.S. Southern Command-sponsored New Horizons exercise.
The Amory, Mississippi, native spent six weeks building a preschool for local children in Hattieville, Belize, and is now part of a multi-site parging team that consists of U.S. Airmen, Marines, Soldiers and Belize Defence Force engineers.
It’s also his first time training on how to construct an exterior building, and he’s very excited at the chance to “experience something for the first time.”
Smith is also thankful to his brethren in the Belize Defence Force for sharing new construction techniques as well as exposing him to their culture.
A culture to which Smith said that he can readily identify with, “It’s really similar to life in the Philippines (his mother’s home country), down to the people, the driving and the fact that mayonnaise and habanero is used on many of the dishes,” he said, chuckling at his own observation.
He’s appreciative for the overall experience, saying that “military life has afforded me the opportunity to grow up, learn and to be thankful for my successes.”
Smith attributes his work ethic to his strict upbringing and the fact that his step-dad made him stand at attention when he would get in trouble.
“I didn’t like it at the time,” Smith said. “But, it made me have respect for myself and others, which I don’t think it’s an opportunity that a lot of people were blessed with."
Smith, will return from his deployment in late-June. He says that he doesn’t know how much longer he will stay in the military and that he is just taking it day by day.
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.21.2014 17:25 |
| Story ID: | 130695 |
| Location: | BELIZE CITY , BZ |
| Hometown: | AMORY, MS, US |
| Web Views: | 697 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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