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the 83 rd Chemical Battalion and the 3 rd Chemical Brigade. He deployed to the Middle East for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a general officer, served as the Chief of Chemical and the Commandant of the CBRNE School, the 20th Sup- port Command–Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) command. Smith also served as the commanding general of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri—the first Chemical Corps officer in either command position. Additionally, he was the first Chemical Corps officer to serve as The Inspector General of the Army. Smith attributed his success to his fam- ily, and took much inspiration from his father, an Army veteran of the Korean War who died when Smith was 5 years old. Many of his siblings and other fam- ily members also served in the military. “We are very proud of our family’s service, and we believe in service as a
family to this nation,” he said.
When reflecting on his celebrated career of 35-plus years as an US Army General Officer and mentor to so many in the US Army, he shared a story. “Once I write the book, which will be focused on starting from humble begin- nings, I know that the military will play a key role in the making of the man that I have become. I always knew that I wanted to serve in the military because of my father’s and other members of my family’s service to the nation. Although my father died when I was only five years old, my uncles, aunts and other key elements of my family kept his legacy alive by showing me what right looks like and telling me who I was at a young age. So, needless to say, this service to the nation was inculcated in me a few years ago. Growing up my church and school were also bedrock foundations for the need to serve. My mom somehow paid to send all three of her children to private el- ementary school. I still, to this day, don’t know how she did it. We did see her work additional jobs to help ends meet, but she never complained about what
Col. Isaac Manigault, the Investigations Division chief of the U.S. Army Inspec- tor General Agency and former acting DTIG, remarked on Smith’s ability to engage with everyone he met. “He em- phasized the importance of family, com- munication, relationships, hard work, and building trust,” Manigault said. “He always made everyone feel important.” The family’s Army connections don’t end with Lt. Gen. Smith’s retirement. His younger daughter, Tori, is a second lieutenant studying medicine at How- ard University in Washington, D.C. His older daughter, Taylor, is a civilian graphic designer. Smith and his wife will continue to reside in the Washington area. Maj. Gen. Donna Martin will become the 67th Inspector General of the Army and receive a promotion to lieutenant general on Sept. 2 at Joint Base Myer- Henderson Hall. Martin was previously the Provost Marshal General and the commanding general of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
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