Veterans' Stories: David Smith

Corporal David Smith says he joined the military because he wanted to be part of something bigger than himself.

He was twice deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and suffered from extreme post-traumatic stress after accidentally wounding a fellow Marine.

One month after he put a gun in his mouth and almost pulled the trigger, he joined President George W. Bush for the W100k mountain bike ride.

Now, after much work to heal, he says he's now the happiest he's ever been-- the head of marketing at a Norwegian tech company, married to his college sweetheart and the father of a newborn baby girl.

He also volunteers for Team Rubicon, a non-profit that gives veterans the opportunity to continue to serve as first responders to disasters around the world.

Corporal David Smith says he joined the military because he wanted to be part of something bigger than himself.

He was twice deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and suffered from extreme post-traumatic stress after accidentally wounding a fellow Marine.

One month after he put a gun in his mouth and almost pulled the trigger, he joined President George W. Bush for the W100k mountain bike ride.

Now, after much work to heal, he says he's not the happiest he's ever been-- the head of marketing at a Norwegian tech company, married to his college sweetheart and the father of a newborn baby girl.

He also volunteers for Team Rubicon, a non-profit that gives veterans the opportunity to continue to serve as first responders to disasters around the world.

https://www.bushcenter.org/people/david-j-smith.html

https://teamrubiconusa.org/