Salute to Veterans: ‘Close calls’ and life lessons from tour in Afghanistan

Gabriel Smith’s 8-year-old son had no idea where his daddy went four years ago – or when he’d come back home.

But every night for a year, he fell asleep clutching a “daddy doll” that displayed a picture of his dad. And while his son slept inside the family’s Minnesota home, Smith was in the trenches of a war thousands of miles away.

“We were supposed to identify and look for bombs and clear the roads. We cleared ambushes,” Smith said of his yearlong tour in Afghanistan. He spoke to his son only three or four times that entire year. “I missed like three years of his life joining the military. But he understood I was out being a soldier.”

Smith, 26, served four years in the military as a U.S. Army Specialist, coming home from Afghanistan in 2010. An avid rock climber and outdoorsman, he moved to California one year ago, settling in Mariposa because of its close proximity to Yosemite National Park.

Not uncommon for combat soldiers, Smith’s experience in the military continues to haunt him. However, Smith said, his experience also taught him the most valuable life lessons.

“I just felt like it was a man’s responsibility to join and to experience that,” he said. “When you go through something like that, you get a whole new respect for the world and an appreciation for life.”

Smith lost 13 of his fellow soldiers – friends, comrades and “brothers” as he called them – and the reality was that it could have happened to him.

“When death is staring you in the face every day, you make a commitment to your brothers to stand strong,” Smith said, recalling nearly a dozen “close calls” with ambushes and bombs. “Your attitude and your mind changes and you have a new appreciation for life.

“I think everybody knew it could have been you,” he said.

Despite those harrowing close calls, Smith said he thinks every man should join the military. “It teaches boys how to be a man and how to survive on your own,” he said. “You learn to rely on others, but also to rely on yourself.”

Smith is earning an associate’s degree in animal science and agriculture from Merced College while he works on his next goal – starting a tourist ranch in Mariposa with animals, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Smith said he wants to give back to the community by partnering with Mariposa businesses to attract tourists, and by donating fresh produce to schools. “My son likes it here, so I wanted to plant my footprint here and give back,” he said.

Smith’s brother also served his country as a Marine, including two tours in Iraq. His grandfather and grandfather’s cousin were also veterans, Smith said, serving in the Army.

Like most veterans, Smith is often called a hero. But he doesn’t think of himself that way. “The vets that didn’t come back – they are the true heroes,” Smith said. “That’s why we honor our veterans because they give, but they really can’t get back.”

This story was originally published November 10, 2014 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Salute to Veterans: ‘Close calls’ and life lessons from tour in Afghanistan."