Michael
Smith

Service

Twenty years
in the Kentucky Guard.

Sergeant First Class Smith manages officer assignment actions, DA selection board operations, and personnel data affecting the officer corps across the entire Kentucky Army National Guard.

He enlisted in 2005 as a Human Resources Specialist and served in a traditional status with the Field Maintenance Company, 149th Brigade Support Battalion, Owensboro. In 2011 he deployed to Iraq with the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in support of Operation New Dawn, performing Electronic Warfare duties as part of the final element to close Victory Base Complex and transfer the installation to the Government of Iraq.

From 2011 to 2013 he operated the DEERS/RAPIDS station for the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 149th Brigade Support Battalion, issuing Department of Defense identification credentials to Soldiers, retirees, and family members.

He entered the Active Guard and Reserve program in 2013 as the Training NCO for the Field Maintenance Company, where he also qualified as a Recovery Vehicle Supervisor and a Weaponcraft Instructor. In 2016 he moved to the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment as the Assistant Operations NCO. From 2018 to 2020 he served as Readiness NCO and Detachment Sergeant for the 307th Support Maintenance Company. In 2020 he was assigned to Headquarters and Support Company, 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, as the Brigade Assistant Operations NCO and Senior Electronic Warfare NCO.

From October 2021 through November 2022 he mobilized under Title 10 authority in support of the Southwest Border mission, Request for Assistance 22. He served as the S8 NCOIC for a task force comprised of five battalions and 27 units from multiple states, executing Resource Management and Comptroller functions outside his primary military occupational specialty. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his performance, one of two noncommissioned officers from the brigade element to receive the decoration.

He was elected Vice President, Army in February 2024 and assumed the office of President in August 2025. In that capacity he advocates for the enlisted force at the state and national level, conducts legislative engagements with the Kentucky congressional delegation, and directs organizational operations and signature fundraising events.

He graduated PGA HOPE Kentucky in October 2024 and returned as a Veteran Mentor in March 2026. PGA HOPE, which stands for Helping Our Patriots Everywhere, is the flagship military program of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America. It introduces golf to veterans and active duty service members through a six to eight week curriculum taught by PGA Professionals, at no cost to participants, and operates under a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Veterans Affairs that allows recreational therapists to refer veterans to the program as a form of therapy. Mentors must be program graduates and are appointed by the Kentucky PGA Section, its PGA HOPE Lead Professionals, or its PGA HOPE Ambassadors.

Recognition

Awards and decorations.