By Elaine Sanchez
Brooke Army Medical Center
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Aug. 28,
2014 – A hit-and-run driver robbed Staff Sgt. Michael Smith of his arm and
nearly his life, but failed to impact his single-minded determination.
“My commitment was to staying in the Army for 20 [years],”
Smith said. “There was no way I was going to be shortchanged due to someone
else’s negligence.”
After two years of intense rehabilitation and training at
Brooke Army Medical Center, Smith’s persistence paid off. An above-the-elbow
amputee, Smith met every standard and was approved earlier this month to return
to duty as a career soldier.
“I’m very excited about what the future holds,” the 15-year
veteran said. “With or without my injury, I want my daughter to know what true
commitment looks like.”
Commitment never wavered
In the years since his accident, Smith’s commitment has
never wavered.
A recruiter in Nashville, Tennessee, at the time, Smith was
riding his motorcycle when a texting driver slammed into him from behind. He
flew over the guardrail and was then hit midair by a driver coming from the
opposite direction.
“I was knocked unconscious on impact, and when I woke up I
was lying on the highway,” Smith recalled. “My boots and helmet had come off,
and my arm was hanging on by the skin inside my jacket sleeve.”
Smith tried to move off the road but was unable. The texting
driver had driven off but the second driver, a Navy corpsman, rushed over and
tended to his wounds until the ambulance arrived. In the coming months, Smith
underwent six surgeries due to infection, which eventually claimed most of his
right arm.
Miraculous turnaround and rehabilitation
Not long afterward, Smith had another brush with death when
he suffered kidney failure. His father drove up from Amarillo, Texas, he said,
and sat by his bedside praying for hours.
“The next couple of days, I made a miraculous turnaround,”
Smith recalled.
Facing a long rehabilitation and based on a recommendation
from his cousin, who works at Brooke Army Medical Center here, Smith requested
to be assigned to BAMC’s Warrior Transition Battalion.
A week-and-a-half later, he arrived at the Center for the
Intrepid, BAMC’s outpatient rehabilitation center. Smith’s goal was to return
to active duty, but he knew he was facing an uphill battle.
“I spoke to the CFI staff and they pushed me to do
everything,” he said. “I knew I had to prove I could do just as much if not
more than anyone else.”
Focusing on sports
With this goal in mind, the former high school athlete dove
into every sport possible. He mastered shooting firearms. He ran Spartan races,
Tough Mudders, and half-marathons. Tough Mudders are 10- to 12-mile obstacle
courses designed to test strength, stamina and teamwork skills.
Smith also went rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding. He
swam, cycled and took part in track and field. He joined soccer, basketball and
kickball leagues.
Earlier this month, Smith nervously appeared before the
Physical Evaluation Board. Yet he felt confident they’d approve his request to
remain in the Army. He was thrilled when they declared him fit for active duty.
“I’ve been committed to the Army my entire adult life,” he
said. “I feel very blessed that I have the opportunity to continue to serve.”
Return to duty, promotion
Smith, who is slated to be promoted to sergeant first class
this week, hopes to resume his prior career in field artillery.
“I just want to be a regular soldier, go to combat if
needed,” he said. “I honestly feel like there’s nothing I can’t do now, thanks
to the support from my family, friends and the staff at the CFI who were with
me every step of the way.”
As he awaits orders, Smith is filling his time with his
other passion: sports. He’s slated to represent the Army in track and field and
swimming at the Warrior Games next month, and continues to cycle daily in hopes
of making the 2016 Paralympic team.
Motivating others
Smith said he believes to this day that he lost his arm for
a reason.
“I would like to inspire and motivate others struggling with
mental or physical challenges,” he said. “No one should let their injury
determine who they are or who they want to be.”
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