Sgt. Sayer Smith: Hometown Hero

Photo By Staff Sgt. Eric McDonough | Sgt. Sayer Smith, a mechanic with Fox Company, 700th Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, works to repair the suspension system of a humvee while deployed in support of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine at the Yavoriv Combat Training Center in Western Ukraine on Aug. 9. The U.S. Army's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is deployed to Ukraine as part of the JMTG-U, an international coalition dedicated to improving the Yavoriv CTC's training capacity and building professionalism within the Ukrainian army. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Eric McDonough, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team)  

YAVORIV, UKRAINE

08.09.2017

Story by Staff Sgt. Eric McDonough 

45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

Sgt. Sayer Smith, of Poteau, Oklahoma, is deployed to Ukraine as a mechanic with Fox Company, 700th Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in support of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine at the Yavoriv Combat Training Center on the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in Western Ukraine.

The JMTG-U is a coalition of nations dedicated to improving the Yavoriv CTC's training capacity and building professionalism within the Ukrainian army. As Ukraine’s first NATO style training center, the CTC will allow for greater interoperability with partner nations in the future.

“I enlisted in the military because it's the family tradition,” Smith said. “Both sides of the family are in the military. My father was a major, my mother was a staff sergeant, and my siblings are both enlisted.”

As an all-wheel mechanic, Smith plays a vital role in maintaining the mission capable status that allows the 45th IBCT to so successfully mentor the staff of the CTC during this train-the-trainer deployment.

This is Smith's second deployment. He spent a year in Iraq between 2011 and 2012. He brings six years of military experience to Ukraine as well as a wealth of civilian training.

At home in Oklahoma, Smith is a mechanic working as a federal technician at the Unit Training and Equipment Site at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma. Smith attended Wyotech in Laramie, Wyoming where he used the Montgomery G.I.Bill to help earn certificates in Diesel Repair, Advanced Diesel Repair, and Chassis Fabrication.

“This is way better than my last deployment,” Smith said. “Ukraine is nice; the culture, history, and people are nicer than I ever expected.”

• Date Taken: 08.09.2017
• Date Posted: 08.09.2017 13:10
• Story ID: 244308
• Location: YAVORIV, UA
• Hometown: POTEAU, OK, US
• Hometown: SHADY POINT, OK, US
• Hometown: TULSA, OK, US