Donald B. Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Donald B. Smith | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Place of birth | Danbury, Connecticut |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Brigadier General (United States Army) |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
| Other work | County Sheriff |
- For other people named Donald Smith, see Donald Smith (disambiguation)
Donald Blaine Smith is the Sheriff of Putnam County, New York and a retired United States Army General. He was elected in 2002 as a Republican. Sheriff Smith also serves on the faculty of the National Sheriffs Institute. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and also earned a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. Sheriff Smith is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and was a Fellow at the National Defense University. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster.
Contents |
[edit] Military career and background
Smith was born in Danbury, Connecticut, and grew up in Patterson, New York. His father, Don Smith, was an eight-term Town supervisor of Patterson and one the first advocates for the creation of a County Executive's office and County Legislature in Putnam County, and the consolidation of local police forces into a County Sheriff's Department, all of which were completed by 1978.[1] The younger Smith attended the New York Military Academy at Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, New York and graduated in 1965. He then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in June of 1969 with a Bachelor of Science Degree and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Armor. He married Jane Christine Powell in 1973 and had two children.
During his company grade years he served as a Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Cavalry Troop Commander, Instructor, and Company Tactical Officer in a variety of assignments at Fort Ord, California; Fort Knox, Kentucky; West Point, New York; and in the Republic of Vietnam. His tour in Vietnam included service as both a Platoon Leader and Troop Commander in C Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry.
Following graduation from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, General Smith was assigned for duty in the U.S. Army Europe, where he spent 6 years in the 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized). While assigned to the Pathfinder Division, he served as Battalion Executive Officer, Deputy G1, Division G1, Battalion Commander, and Division Inspector General. General Smith's command tour with the Division was in Mainz-Gonsenheim, Germany, where he commanded the 4th Battalion, 69th Armor from 1982 to 1984.
After his tour in Europe, General Smith returned to the United States where he attended Senior Service College as a fellow at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. After graduating in 1986, he was assigned as the Chief of Armor Branch, followed by service as the Combat Arms Division Chief, both within the Officer Personnel Management Directorate of the Army's Personnel Command. He commanded the 194th Separate Armored Brigade at Fort Knox, Kentucky, from August 1989 to August 1991. Following Brigade Command, General Smith served as Deputy Director of Personnel Support Policy and Services in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from September 1991 until September 1993. His final assignment on active duty was with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, serving as the Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver through November 1994, followed by service as the Assistant Division Commander for Support.
From 1993 through 1996, General Smith also performed the major additional duty of Chief of the United States Delegation to the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM), a world organization consisting of 113 member nations who promote world peace by sponsoring military sports world championships. He served on the Executive Committee of this international organization and also was the President of its Permanent Commission for Information and Public Relations from 1994 through 1996. General Smith served as the Chief of Delegation and Chief of Mission for the United States at the First Military World Games in Rome, Italy, in September of 1995. He currently is a senior fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, and serves on the board of directors of the American Security Council Foundation.[2]
[edit] Service as county sheriff
On January 1, 2002, Smith became the 53rd Sheriff of Putnam County. Immediately prior to becoming Sheriff, he had served as the Deputy County Executive of Putnam County. Since taking office, Sheriff Smith has emphasized community policing; encouraging all law enforcement throughout the county to work together as a team; and has focused on making the county safer for its young people by increasing the intensity of the war on drugs, and by emphasizing drivers’ safety programs and safety belt usage, especially for the youthful driving population. Under his leadership, the School Resource Officer Program has expanded to nine deputies, serving in the high schools and middle schools of Putnam County. Putnam County has a population of 99,550 and encompasses 267 square miles.
[edit] Electoral history
| Sheriff of Putnam County, New York, 2005 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Donald B. Smith | 13254 | 100% | Unopposed | |
| Sheriff of Putnam County, New York, 2001 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Donald B. Smith | 29071 | 76% | Republican pick-up | |
| Independent | Robert D. Thoubborn | 9173 | 24% | ||
[edit] References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Army.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Robert D. Thoubboron |
53d Sheriff of Putnam County, New York | Succeeded by incumbent |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Donald B. Smith |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Danbury, Connecticut |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
