Photo By Sgt. William Begley | U.S. Army Spc. Spencer Smith, a native of Auburn, Calif., and a medic with Team...... read more read more
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KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan —The transition from high school to college and adulthood can be difficult for many people. It takes discipline to achieve goals and work towards a dream. It helps to be able to laugh along the way.
U.S. Army Spc. Spencer Smith, a medic with Headquarters Platoon, Delaware Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Brigade, remembers being at the that crossroad all too well.
A native of Auburn, Calif., and a graduate of Placer High School in 2008, Smith had received acceptance letters from three major colleges: Sacramento State, Chico State and the University of Nevada-Reno. After analyzing his finances, he made the choice to attend Sierra College instead. There he started his trek towards an associate’s degree. During his spare time he volunteered with the Auburn City Fire Department.
Most of his fellow classmates had left the area to attend other colleges. Smith said the people he met at Sierra were very school-focused, not necessarily friend-focused. He grew weary of the daily grind at school.
Feeling the need for some inspiration, Smith headed to the armed forces recruiting station.
“Initially I wanted to join the Air Force and be Para-Rescue Jumper, but I decided not to do that. The Air Force couldn’t really guarantee me that I could have a job that I wanted if I didn’t make it as a PJ, so I went to see the Army recruiter. I told him that I want to be an Airborne Medic and if I can’t have that then I’m not interested,” Smith said. “They gave it to me right away.”
Smith said that joining the Army has fulfilled a lifelong dream.
“Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be in the Army,” said Smith. “I never thought that it would actually happen. It’s definitely the biggest commitment I’ve ever made.”
Smiths first line supervisor, U.S. Army Sgt. David Riley, a native of Houghton, Mich., and senior medic for Delaware Company, said that Smith is a welcome addition to his team.
“Smith has been my soldier now for over a year, and he’s probably the most squared away soldier I’ve ever had,” Riley said. “That guy can just make you laugh constantly. He’s funny.”
Riley recalled a time when he put Smith through the paces during what he called a “stress test.” Medics are put into a high-stress condition, usually induced by physical exercise. At the point when they are physically stressed, they’re given a trauma situation where they have to figure out everything wrong with the casualty and treat them.
“The first time I tested Smith I started by making him do push-ups in all of his gear and he was just smiling the whole time. He didn’t get tired, so I had him start sprinting back and forth across the parking lot. He kept on smiling and still didn’t get tired. So I had him do burpees, and he continued smiling. I was getting tired trying to tire him out. He’s in great shape,” Riley said.
While Smith worked on the mock patient, Riley tried distracting him, and Smith just remained focused on what he was doing. Smith likes to have fun while he works.
“He’s got this way of making wisecracks while he works that just cracks you up. I quit trying to stress him out because I was laughing too hard. I don’t know anybody that doesn’t like the guy,” Riley said.
One of Riley’s fellow non-commissioned officers commented that Smith never has a bad day.
“He always seems to find something good about the day,” stated Riley. “Its awesome being around someone like that when you’re deployed. It helps to keep your mind off the fact that your so far from home and your loved ones.”
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason Person who hails from Gaithersburg, Md., is Smith's platoon sergeant. Person said that Smith has helped a lot of guys to smile during this deployment, but he’s also helped a lot of the local populace.
“He’s outstanding; he’s a smart guy who does his job well,” Person said. “He has treated a lot of Afghans on this mission cycle. He’s very well trusted by the soldiers in this company. Everybody likes him.”
As the platoon sergeant, 43-year-old Person is responsible for creating casualty collection points and said that Smith is tied to his hip most of the time. He’s Person’s battle buddy.
“He likes to sing, all the time. If I’m bored I’ll say sing me a song and he even go’s back to the 80’s just for me,” said Person.
Smith is not satisfied with just being an Airborne medic in the “regular Army.” When he gets back to the United States after this deployment, he wants to attend the U.S. Army Ranger School or become a member of the Special Forces.
“I either want to wear a green beret, or a tan beret,” Smith proclaimed.
If he doesn’t make it as one of those elite forces, there are other options.
“There are lots of opportunities in the Army,” Smith said. “If I can’t qualify for Special Forces or the Rangers, I would love to fly. If I stay in as a career soldier I have thought about dropping a packet to become a pilot.”
One thing is certain, if Smith becomes a pilot, he will probably have the funniest pre-flight briefing you’ve ever heard.
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2012 11:03 |
| Story ID: | 89442 |
| Location: | KHOWST PROVINCE, AF |
| Hometown: | AUBURN, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 247 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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