Master Sgt. William H. Smith, born in Baxley, Georgia, began his journey in the Marines in December 2001 with recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. After completing Marine Combat Training at the School of Infantry and his MOS training as a 3521, basic automotive technician, he got orders to Camp Pendleton, California, with the 1st Marine Division.
In March 2003, then-Lance Cpl. Smith deployed to Kuwait and subsequently crossed into Iraq. Over the next few years he would return to Iraq two more times, once with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines in 2004 and again with 1st Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion from 2008 to 2009. Over the years, he held various leadership positions, including platoon sergeant, safety officer, licensing officer, operations chief, career school staff non commissioned office in charge, and motor transport maintenance chief.
Outside of his Iraq deployments, Master Sgt. Smith served in many other diverse locations, including Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Norway. One of the highlights of his career was serving at the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer Academy. He started out as a sergeant’s school faculty advisor and then moved up to chief faculty advisor for career school, where he eventually become the staff non commissioned officer. His commitment to excellence earned him the 2017 Faculty Advisor of the Year award. Currently, he serves as the motor transport maintenance chief here at Blount Island Command.
Master Sgt. Smith's military accolades include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with three gold stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat device for valor and three gold stars, a Combat Action Ribbon and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.