Raymond C. Smith

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Raymond C. Smith
Raymond C. Smith Jr 1992.jpg
Rear Admiral Raymond C. Smith, 1992
Born (1943-07-06) July 6, 1943 (age 78)
San Francisco, California
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1967–2001
RankRear admiral
Commands heldSEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE
Naval Special Warfare Command
Battles/warsVietnam War
Gulf War
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (5)
Websitehttp://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=31263

Raymond Charles Smith Jr.[1] (born July 6, 1943)[2][3] is a retired United States Navy rear admiral who commanded the Naval Special Warfare Command from 1992 to 1996.

Naval career[]

Born in San Francisco[2] and raised in Vallejo, California,[1] Smith enlisted in the US Navy in 1962. He was later selected to attend and subsequently received an appointment to attend the Naval Academy. Smith graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1967 and subsequently served on USS Floyd B. Parks till 1969. Smith then reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. After six months of training, Smith graduated with BUD/S class 54 in February 1970. Smith's first assignment was to Underwater Demolition Team TWELVE (UDT-12) and served a combat deployment to South Vietnam. He later went on to receive a Master of Science degree in Physical Oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1974.[4] Smith served staff assignments as operations officer and executive officer of UDT 12, followed by an assignment SEAL weapons and diving systems Acquisition Manager in Washington D.C. Smith was assigned as director of SEAL training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado from 1981 to 1983, then served as executive assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Armitage. Smith then served as commanding officer of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE from 1985 to 1987.[5] As a Navy Captain, Smith assumed command of Naval Special Warfare Group ONE (NSWG 1) in August 1989. During Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm he led all SEAL, Special Boat personnel during completion of hundreds of special operations missions.[6] Smith relinquished command of NSWG 1 in 1991. Between 1992 and 1996 Smith served as the commanding officer of the Naval Special Warfare Command.[7] His final assignment was deputy commanding officer of United States Special Operations Command.[5] He retired from active duty in 2001 after 34 years of service.

This article contains material from the United States Federal Government and is in the public domain.

Awards and decorations[]

U.S. military decorations
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Legion of Merit with four 5/16 inch stars
V
Bronze Star with Combat "V"
Purple Heart
Meritorious Service Medal
V
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat "V" and three 5/16 inch stars
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Combat Action Ribbon
Navy Unit Commendation
U.S. Service (Campaign) Medals and Service and Training Ribbons
Bronze star
National Defense Service Medal with two service stars
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Vietnam Service Medal (with four bronze campaign stars)
Bronze star
Bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal (with two bronze campaign stars)
Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
Vietnam Technical Service Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Technical Service Medal, 1st Class (Republic of Vietnam)
Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d.svg Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Ribbon
VNCivilActionsRibbon-2.svg Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation Ribbon
Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) ribbon.svg Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Navy Pistol Marksmanship Badge
U.S. badges, patches and tabs
United States Navy Special Warfare insignia.png SEAL Trident
U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia-redone.png Navy Parachutist Insignia

References[]

  1. ^ a b Lucky Bag. Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Naval Academy. 1967. p. 242. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b Birth Index, 1905-1995. Sacramento, California: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.
  3. ^ Navy Register: December 31, 1970 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1972. p. 209. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Rear Admiral, Raymond C. Smith, US Navy (Ret.) Navy SEAL Commander". Archived from the original on 2020-05-08. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b "USSOCOM Honors Navy SEALs". United States Navy.
  6. ^ "LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Rear Admiral Ray Smith, USN (Ret.)". U.S. Naval Academy.
  7. ^ "Richards takes helm as Navy commander". Retrieved 10 August 2016.

External links[]

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