Promotion ceremony held to honor former Cedartown resident
Major General Michael T. McGuire, adjutant general in Arizona, was the presiding officer at a recent promotion ceremony for Colonel Chad H. Smith, formerly of Cedartown.
A reception was held following the ceremony, which included the award presentation, reading of promotion orders, pinning of rank and oath of office.
Colonel Chad H. Smith is a distinguished military graduate from The Citadel, who was commissioned in Army Aviation in May 1992.
After graduating from the US Army Flight School, his first assignment was AH-1 Attack Platoon Leader with the 3rd ARC at Fort Bliss, Texas. He served a variety of assignments from 1993 –1996 with the 3rd ARC. Thereafter, he relocated with the Regiment from Fort Bliss to Fort Carson.
After graduating from the Air Defense Advance Course in April 1997, Smith transitioned to the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and was assigned to 8th Army in Yongson, Korea. In spring of 1999, he took command of Echo Troop 1-10 Calvary at Ford Hood until April 2001 where he was transferred to the 5th Army. His duty was to coordinate and train with the National Guard’s AH-64 Attack Battalions.
In May 2003 after promotion to major, he transitioned over to the Arizona Army National Guard. He served at the Western Army Aviation Training Site in a variety of assignments and graduated from AH-64A Qualification Course, AH-64A Instructor Pilot Course and the AH-64D Qualification Course.
In June 2008, Smith took command of the 1-285th ARB. Upon the end of his battalion command tour in June 2010, he served as the Deputy Brigade Commander of the 98th Aviation Troop Command until February 2013 when he returned to the WAATS as the Deputy Brigade Commander until March 2015. Recently completing his assignment as the State Aviation Officer for ARNG, Smith is currently in transition to INSCOM where he will deploy to the Central Command AOR and will return in May 2017.
Smith lives in Oro Valley, AZ with his wife Candace Smith.