Raymond C. Smith

For persons of a similar name, see Raymond Smith (disambiguation) and Ray Smith (disambiguation).

Raymond Charles Smith Jr.^[1] (6 July 1943 – 6 February 2022) was a United States Navy rear admiral who commanded the Naval Special Warfare Command from 1992 to 1996.

Raymond C. Smith
Rear Admiral Raymond C. Smith, 1992
Born	(1943-07-06)6 July 1943 San Francisco, California
Died	6 February 2022(2022-02-06) (aged 78) Coronado, California
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1967–2001
Rank	Rear admiral
Commands	SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE Naval Special Warfare Command
Battles / wars	Vietnam War Gulf War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (5)

Naval career

Born in San Francisco on 6 July 1943^[2][3] and raised in Vallejo, California,^[1] Smith enlisted in the US Navy in 1962. He was later selected to attend Naval Academy Preparatory School and subsequently received an appointment to attend the United States Naval Academy. Smith graduated from the Naval Academy in 1967 and subsequently served on USS Floyd B. Parks until 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 he 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.

He died at his home in Coronado on 6 February 2022.^[8]

Awards and decorations

U.S. military decorations Defense Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit with four 5/16 inch stars Bronze Star with Combat "V" Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal 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 National Defense Service Medal with two service stars Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal (with four bronze campaign stars) Southwest Asia Service Medal (with two bronze campaign stars) Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon Technical Service Medal, 1st Class (Republic of Vietnam) Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Ribbon Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation Ribbon Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) Navy Pistol Marksmanship Badge

U.S. badges, patches and tabs SEAL Trident Navy Parachutist Insignia

References

1. Lucky Bag. Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Naval Academy. 1967. p. 242. Retrieved 10 August 2022 – via Internet Archive.
2. 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 10 August 2022.
4. "Rear Admiral, Raymond C. Smith, US Navy (Ret.) Navy SEAL Commander". Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
5. "USSOCOM Honors Navy SEALs". United States Navy. 17 August 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
6. "Leadership Conference: Rear Admiral Ray Smith, USN (Ret.)". U.S. Naval Academy. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
7. Neal, Iris E. (26 April 1996). "Richards takes helm as Navy commander". Coronado Eagle and Journal. Vol. 86, no. 17. p. 2. Retrieved 10 August 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
8. "Raymond Charles Smith Jr. 1943–2022". Vallejo Times Herald. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022 – via Legacy.com.

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

External links

• Biography at Premiere Speakers Bureau