Inspired by a Great Man. It was with deep regret that today one of our own; “MSG Tommy Smart” was laid to rest. He was as tough as they come with a passion for life and the vocabulary to articulate all that he though about it as well. I met MSG Smart or as most of us knew him simply as “Tommy Lee”, while assigned to SOCEUR in Stuttgart Germany. He gave us all a piece of his mind followed by a lot of his heart. You felt that when he spoke he cared about the person in front of him. If you were fortunate to find yourself in front of him that also meant you might have had to listening to him drop a few colorful “F Bombs” or be on the receiving end of one of his bear hugs accompanied by that Tommy “Smart Ass” grin. When the word came that he had lost his life many of us made the trip near and far to pay our respect to this brutally honest country boy with his good heart and solid love for family. I was drawn like many out of respect to say farewell to this fallen soldier but what I didn’t expect was out of this gathering of mourners queued to say farewell would be an enormous presence of heart also on display. It wasn’t due to the sheer numbers of people that showed up but to see at what extent Tommy had touched the people in his life and within his community. There was a group of motorcycle club members each holding an American Flag as you entered the building, outside many friends, family and fellow warriors shared hugs, shoulder taps and smiles of revisiting past gatherings or encounters. Before I seen this display I asked myself why did I take the trip what was I expecting to see or say if asked “How did you know Tommy.?” I got my answer in the sheer sight and sound of the people and voices from all walks of life that showed up. I was there as everyone else was, to relive what it meant to be caught up in Tommy’s spirit. He would have enjoyed the laughter, the conversation about his beloved UNC and the many wise cracks and stories behind all of our past times with him. I overheard one women mention that, “Tommy would have enjoyed this being the wise ass he was.” I asked how she knew him and she said, she knew him from high school, “He was always talking smack” she said, but you loved him for that. “We loved him for that” I added. Tommy had a way of conveying what he felt was important “country wit” in tow. I felt he was telling us “not to take yourself too seriously” but instead find the heart in the situation. That “people factor” he knew all too well; this was what I noticed in everyone that I came in contact with that evening. We were all there to support one another “Tommy” still up to his old tricks” I thought, even now. I saw my friend in his Carolina blue and I told him he had gotten a little grey over the years; I wished him well and thanked him for always sharing a hug and some memorable words whenever we spoke. Later I and the “Crew from Germany” a titled given to us by his family as we introduced ourselves during the viewing; got together and shared drinks and stories amongst one another, about family and work, on how the circle was getting smaller and what would have made Tommy proud. I joked that it felt like we were a part of some fraternal order, not just some guys that worked with each other for a number of years. Someone else mentioned that it resembled getting the “band back together.” I think the word cohesion kept popping into my head, due to the familiarity of the setting and conversations we shared. We all agreed that we wished that it didn’t take our friend losing his life to inspire us to reconnect. We all had our own versions of “Tommy’ism” along with that sense of family that connected us. Warriors deal with death in various ways; we’ve come to expect it in our day-to-day lives as soldiers. Although we know it can happen to any of us we tend to believe our heroes as indestructible and immortal. So it doesn’t really hit us immediately when something tragic and so final takes place. I just hope that when each and everyone of us realize that one of the greats has made his final appearance, that instead of going down the road of regret, anger and lost, that we instead take the road “Tommy” would have wanted us to be on, where memories of our friend’s laugher, undeterred grit and character await us. Remembering his resolve when it came to looking a bad situation head on, squaring up his shoulders and dropping a few “F Bombs” to set the record straight. Crowning the moment with a “Smart ass” grin and continuing to push through. I know that’s my plan, and I hope I will be able to execute as fearlessly as he did. I thank him for leaving me with that. So in Memory of Tommy Lee Smart, he was a man who touched us all; full of spirit and the heart to match. You will not be forgotten. “Old Soldier Never Die, Never Die, Never Die”, “Old Soldiers Never Die; They Just Fade Away.”
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 03:24:50 +0000
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