Sergeant Major Eric Smith stops by the gate where a small boy, about the age of nine, stands waiting. He waits by the gate everyday, knowing SGM Smith might pass by. He waits by the gate, unaware of the impact he’s made on the soldier’s life.
After being deployed to Iraq, SGM Smith found inspiration in a small Iraqi child. He knew the little boy’s situation, but he could also relate to struggle brought about by the conditions of poverty.
“I just wonder what has happened over the course of time [to the child in Iraq],” SGM Smith said. “He has inspired me to do my job here and provide guidance and direction to the kids because they’re in dire need of it.”
When SGM Smith married his wife, Martha, they were still in high school. He had a family to provide for and no means to support a family. Mrs. Smith could not go to work because they didn’t have the money for child care. SGM Smith decided to join the army, knowing he would receive a pay check every two weeks and medical care.
“At first I thought the army was a programmed organization- treated like a robot and expected to act like a robot,” SGM Smith said. “But it’s really just like a regular job, and I treated it like a regular job.”
Though SGM Smith considered his employment with the army as a regular job, he knew he was held to a higher standard than a civilian. He knew a lot more would be asked of him. He knew he would have to leave his family for tours and deployment overseas.
“I spent three years in Korea [for general overseas tours],” SGM Smith said, “being away from your family takes its toll after a while.”
Though the fear of dying lingered in his mind, SGM Smith dealt with a different kind of fear during his second combat experience at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a First Sergeant, he was responsible for 241 soldiers of a Heavy Truck Company.
“I did everything in my power to make sure they were all trained and not complacent about their surroundings,” SGM Smith said. “Because something will happen when you think it’s not going to happen, and you’re not prepared.”
When SGM Smith would come home, he faced an adaptation into a home he no longer recognized. Mrs. Smith had softened the rules, while he preferred mean spirited or strict approach in raising their children.
“It was a little hard for them [the children] to adapt when I got back home, it caused a little friction,” SGM Smith said. “It’s hard on any family. That’s just the nature of it. But it depends on the couple to make it through.”
In his first and last combat experience, SGM Smith was deployed at the same time as his son. They were in the same division, Eric Smith Jr. in East Baghdad and his father in North Baghdad.
“At first it was kind of scary because he was forced into the army by me, because he didn’t want to do anything,” SGM Smith said. “If anything would have happened to him it would have stayed with me forever.”
Though he only intended on staying in the army for three years, SGM Smith spent a total of 22 years on active duty. He has gained life long military buddies and still reaps the financial benefits.
“The most rewarding part [of being in the army] was the life lasting relationships,” SGM Smith said. “It made me appreciate the great old United States after going to third world countries. What you have today could be gone tomorrow. Don’t take it for granted.”
