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LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZ. – “Mountains are not just one big rock, they are an accumulation of other rocks building each other up,” said Chief Master Sgt. Leray Smedley, 13th Combat Air Base Squadron senior enlisted leader. “That’s what I want other people to know when they see me. Everything I am is because of what others helped me to be.”
Smedley, a native of Elba, Alabama, always stood up for others, had a natural ability to bring people together, and built his career on continuously working to prove the naysayers wrong.
“It’s about blazing your own trail and being true to who you are,” said Smedley. “I deliver that consistently. That's me to my core.”
Smedley faced challenges early on that shaped who he is as a person. In kindergarten, he was diagnosed with a learning disability.
Despite this setback, it did not deter him from pursuing a higher education, earning a bachelor's degree in computer science, and later securing a financially stable job as a programmer for a furniture company.
Little did he know, his life and career would take a completely different turn after witnessing a tragic event unfold right before his eyes.
On September 11, 2001, Smedley was at his grandmother's house when the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in New York took place. This harrowing event is what Smedley attributed his decision to enlist.
“I had uncles who served in the Vietnam and Korean wars,” said Smedley. “This is the turn of my generation. I had to do something.”
That same week, he went to an Air Force recruiter’s office where the recruiter informed him that he could leave for Basic Military Training as soon as three weeks from that day, only if he took a job in aircraft maintenance.
“I’ll do it,” said Smedley. “I just want to go help serve my country.”
Smedley quickly excelled in maintenance. His dedication earned him a Below-the-Zone promotion, a maintenance professional of the year award, and continuous recognition for his leadership skills.
“I love the camaraderie of maintenance,” said Smedley. “The flightline is a family. It does something different to you.”
Even with his strong ties to the maintenance career field, Smedley maintained a strong passion for technology. He seized the opportunity to support the Air Force mission in a new capacity, leading him to cross train.
In 2007, he pursued a career shift to cyber operations, a significant transition from a physically demanding and close-knit job to a more technical and largely introverted career field.
While Smedley said that the majority of his coworkers chose to work alone, he strived to bridge the gap and bring the team together.
“At the end of the day, I just want to bring people together,” said Smedley. “I want to form a team and push us to a common goal.”
His leadership inspired those around him. Smedley entered the cyber field at a time when it was becoming a top priority in modern warfare, solidifying his impact.
In 2023, his unit was downsizing, which would have required him to relocate and be separated from his family. However, Chief Master Sgt. Jason Shaffer, 56th Fighter Wing command chief, recognized his exceptional character and leadership, leading him to a new opportunity.
Shaffer recommended Smedley for the role of the 13th Combat Air Base Squadron senior enlisted leader, a newly formed unit responsible for training personnel for deployment, and he was immediately selected.
This new position was unlike any he held before, as there were no guidelines or blueprint on how to do the job. He was tasked with building the foundation from the ground up, something he said was the most challenging yet rewarding aspect of this new mission set.
“Understanding the strategic vision for all these different entities has been a great opportunity,” said Smedley. “But most importantly, meeting the people and driving them to be mission-ready Airmen has been the most satisfying of all.”
Beyond his military career, Smedley carried an ambition to build a school for young girls in Africa. Despite initially lacking the necessary funds, he chose to take an unconventional route to accomplish his goal.
In 2010, while deployed in Iraq, he recorded a music CD in a broom closet and sent it to a radio station. A major label took notice and offered Smedley a touring opportunity.
The Air Force granted him a Permissive Temporary Duty, and with all his earnings from the tour, he was able to finally build the school.
“Seeing all those kids have class outside was heavy on my heart,” said Smedley. “I needed to do something.”
Through his partnership with a philanthropic foundation, he was also able to secure power for the facility, provide computers, equip every teacher with an iPad, and ensure each student had a desk and locker.
The transformation was miraculous, shifting their education from an outside setting to a fully functioning building. Smedley won the Department of Defense Spirit of Hope award for this accomplishment.
Despite all his achievements, Smedley stays humble.
“When you hit a road bump, that isn’t the time to quit,” said Smedley. “That's the time to push through. And every scar you gain from that, you show others that scar and tell them, ‘I learned, I’m healed, and I am better from this scar so if I can do this, you can too.’”
From the beginning of his career, whether it was joining the military directly after 9/11 or raising money for impoverished young students in Africa, Smedley does everything with one goal in mind: to serve others. It is with this core value, service before self, and working together with a “one team, one fight” mindset, that continues to fuel the Air Force’s success in the conflicts of today, tomorrow, and always.
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2025 11:53 |
| Story ID: | 496518 |
| Location: | LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA, US |
| Hometown: | ELBA, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 8 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Chief Master Sgt. Leray Smedley: Through It All, He Serves All, by Amn Tekorey Watkins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
