Family, drive to succeed pushes Soldier

By Monica K. GuthrieJuly 23, 2015

Push to succeed
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Emmanuel Smith holds a wide-armed push-up pose, which reflects the determination and hard work he put in to overcome a difficult childhood in inner-city Detroit. Through his own inner drive and with the love and support of his parents, Smith wen... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Aim for success
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Emmanuel Smith (left) and his battle buddy Spc. Jamie Williams inspect their weapons July 17, 2015, while attending basic training at Fort Sill, Okla. Though raised in inner-city Detroit in an area rife with gangs and violence, with the love and... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. July 23, 2015 -- After a game of basketball with a friend, 14-year-old Emmanuel Smith was called home by his mom. Smith went home but his friend went to go hang out with some other friends on a porch. The porch was attacked by a gang and Smith's friend was shot eight times.

"A lot of my friends were in gangs," said Smith who was raised in inner-city Detroit. While Smith wasn't in a gang, his friend was and the attack came from a rival gang.

"My friend survived but at the time it was all about retaliation against the rival gang," said Smith. "They said, 'we know who did it and you need to be part of (the retaliation). We just need to find a way to get you away from your parents.'"

But Smith's parents were keeping a close eye on him and did their best to keep him away from the toxic environment. In the end one of Smith's friends died in the gang war.

"It was an eye opener," he said.

Today Smith is a 31-year-old Army specialist attending basic training at Fort Sill, Okla., and an Officer Candidate School candidate. Smith said breaking free from the inner city streets was hard and that many individuals are unable to rise above, either because of lack of resources or a lack of drive. For some a loss of a friend through gang violence may be motivation enough to find a way out, but what drove Smith wasn't just the violence he witnessed but something he experienced earlier, as a fifth grader.

Education was a priority in his family. When Smith was in the fifth grade, he was labeled as having a learning deficiency and told he would require medication or constant involvement to succeed in life.

"My parents were not going to let that happen," he said. "They knew my potential but they did hold me back and that was a turning point."

Each year before school the students would line up by grade. As Smith lined up with the rest of the fifth graders for the second year in a row, he looked over and saw his same classmates in a line over in the sixth-grade line.

"I am a very competitive person and that [effected] me, and I knew I needed to figure out a way to make it up," he said. "It took a turn on me especially when I became a teenage in my freshman year of high school. I took all that and applied it to everything I did from then out."

Again Smith's parents were there to support him. His mother, a retired senior citizen health administrator, and his father, a retired pastor after 33 years, encouraged him. But it was his father, who was working on his doctorate that made a difference to Smith.

"My father and mother did the best they could while my father was in school," he said. "(My father) has risen above some challenges of his own and that made a big impression on me. He was able to change and become who he is today he's a professor so that's where I get a lot of my motivation and drive even though as a youngster I was involved with the things of the city. They kept a good grasp on me."

Through hard work Smith was accepted into the United States Marine Corp Cadet Program his freshman year of high school. The program requires participants to attend training one weekend a month and two weeks every summer. The location of the program was in Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan, which was two hours away, but Smith was a faithful participant throughout four years.

"They put me in a leadership position early on and I was a leader of individuals older than me so that made me feel better," Smith said. "I had responsibilities and was in charge of people and activities. It was a great boost for me. Coming from my environment you see a lot of negative things, a lot of bad things. It took me out of that environment and put me in a more positive environment."

Through the program Smith learned customs and courtesies in addition to basic military skills. By the end, he won the National Leadership Award through the United States Marine Corps beating out competitors from other states and Puerto Rico.

At the same time Smith took college courses, often not getting home until 9 or 10 p.m. on school nights. Through his hard work Smith accumulated enough credits to graduate high school in three years. That extra effort enabled him to finish with the same peers who passed him in the fifth grade.

"That was one of the things I prayed about," Smith said. "It really damaged me as a kid and as a teenager but I was able to graduate in three years. Some people see that as a small thing, 'oh you graduated in three years,' but I saw it as a huge thing. I made that time back up."

At that time Smith considered joining the military, however he kept in touch with some of the older students from his time in the cadet program who later joined the Marines. As he weighed options for the future a few of those friends lost their lives serving overseas. Their deaths impacted him and he decided to take some time to think it over as he went to college.

Smith attended Kentucky State University where he studied business management and finance. After college he got a position working for the state government and slowly the passion to join the military began to rise in him again. He made plans to go into the Officer Candidate School when his first daughter, Taylor, was born.

"So I thought, 'well I'll go to work and further my education," said Smith.

Smith said he had a successful career in his 20s, earning awards and accolades, and working for multi-million dollar companies. But the desire to serve came again and once more a child was born, her name was Jade. This time, however, Smith chose to follow through.

"I've always wanted to have some form of involvement with the military and do my part," Smith said. "That's always been a passion of mine. I live with no regrets because I don't want to be 50 or 60 years old saying, 'shoulda, coulda, woulda.' If I'm physically able to do it, I want to do it."

Smith returned to the recruiters' office, and they remembered him. He decided to join the Army because he felt it better fit him and was shipped off to Fort Sill.

"Family is very important to me and being apart from my family is hard but my parents did the best they could and made sacrifices for me, and I am following their lead," he said. "Making sacrifices is part of what it means to be a father. I want my daughters to be proud of me. So here I am today, 31 years old with some 18, 19 and 20-year-olds and trying to keep up with them."

Jamie Williams, 27, is Smith's battle buddy in basic and also participating in the OCS program. He said despite nicknames like "old man Smith" and jokes about his hip coming out of place, Smith's age hasn't held him back.

"He is very looked up to and was made bay leader on Day 1," Williams said.

Smith and Williams are set to graduate July 24 then, both being National Guard, will return to their unit to wait for an OCS date. Smith's family will be at his graduation, to include his parents who he said are proud of his accomplishments.

"They came a long way and always taught me to excel in everything I did," Smith said. "They taught me to not allow anything or anybody to keep you from reaching for your goals."