Air Force veteran recounts storied career from combat to the classroom

High flyer reflects on Air Force career

After a long career serving in the U.S. Air Force, Oscar Smith is sharing his fond memories. FOX 13's Alyse Zwick reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - Oscar Smith spent nearly 15 years flying high with the U.S. Air Force. Along the way, he’s collected some unforgettable moments, missions, and milestones – including matrimony.

What they're saying:

"When you’re giving orders or you're giving clearance for other aircraft to drop bombs or to attack the enemy, you know, you're like, okay this, this got real, real fast and you're a part of that," he said.

Smith shared his birds-eye view of a career that began with a ROTC scholarship. He attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and earned his commission at Florida State. His first post: Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City.

"I was in training when 9-11 happened at Tyndall. And so, I remember that day and where I was and all those things that everybody does. And a year after graduating from that training, I got my follow-on aircraft training at Robbins. And within two years from the day, I was first on active duty in 2001, I was in the Middle East," he said.

As an air battle manager, he literally called the shots.

"The primary mission of JSOs was to protect soldiers and Marines on the ground, so the folks on the ground, we could ground map, we can see movement of traffic on the ground and try to protect those guys via communication or sending other aircraft to go overwatch for them," Smith said.

That responsibility, while heavy, never unnerved him. His years of training taught him to stay calm under pressure.

"I did command and control and led to some of those things which are to bring force against the enemy and bend them to our will and as the pilots like to say, you know, turn the enemy into hair, teeth, and eyeballs, right? And so, It gets real, real fast once you're in that kind of kill chain," Smith exclaimed.

Now, years removed from active duty, he calls it the honor of a lifetime.

"Not everybody gets to come back and tell about it, right. And so, for me, it was a combination of both of those things that I was able to go, and I went several times over the course of my time in the Air Force, and I was always able to come home. And so that's a blessing. And it was an opportunity for me to really see how the world works," he said.

Back at home, his wife, Tamara, held down the fort. They met just a few months before he received his first orders, and she became his rock.

"You know, I lovingly refer to her as CEO of the house, Tamara, commander and chief of the house. And she runs everything and it's a lot easier to get through those years, those times, those days gone. Knowing that you don't have to worry about things back home," he said.

Today, Smith is still leading but in a different uniform. He teaches Civics and Government at Innovation Preparation Academy in Wesley Chapel and volunteers as a basketball coach at Wiregrass Ranch High School. His Air Force motto – "Flexibility is the key to power" – is now a lesson he passes on to his students.

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