Jeremiah Smith

Jeremiah Smith served on active duty in the US Army from 1969 to 1971. Smith was drafted in 1969 and went on to serve a year-long deployment in Vietnam with the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. 

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with 60 Device, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.

Smith received his draft notice shortly after graduating from Bellarmine University, halting his plans of going to law school. He attended basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey and then attended Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lewis in Washington. 

Smith was trained to be a mortarman, a job he eventually became very good at. He conceded, however, “When I did it initially, I almost blew up my whole unit.” Despite being drafted, Smith stated, “I loved everything about the military.” He explained that he was conditioned for discipline after he spent some time in a seminary. Smith also played sports and was well prepared for the physical rigors of military training.

Smith landed in Cam Rahn, Vietnam in 1969. On the flight there, he recalled the stewardess said to the soldiers on the plane: “Look at the guy on your left [and] look at the guy on your right, because chances are, they won’t be coming home.” He explained those are words he will never forget.

From Cam Rahn, Smith was sent via helicopter to Cu Chi, where the 25th Infantry Division had its headquarters in Vietnam. Smith described how his unit would go out on patrols for three months at a time before returning to the headquarters camp, using armored personnel vehicles as transportation.

Besides being a mortarman, Smith was also trained as sniper. His duties entailed going into the jungle alone to track the enemy with the help of a military dog, and he would report his findings. He recalled that his unit would get attacked occasionally in Vietnam, but most of the combat he saw was in Cambodia, where his unit helped uncover enemy base camps as part of Operation Bold Lancer.

While in Vietnam, Smith explained that he would interact with Vietnamese civilians, but the more he witnessed his fellow soldiers die, the more callous he became towards the Vietnamese. He recounted that he “looked upon everyone as being an enemy.” 

After returning home from Vietnam in 1970, Smith was assigned to Fort Riley in Kansas to serve out the remainder of his active-duty service. Due to the fact he was engaged at the time to his wife, Jane, Smith requested a duty station closer to New Jersey and became a military policeman at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

After being discharged from active service in 1971, Smith eventually became a teacher and got into coaching. Today, he is an Athletic Director at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison, New Jersey.