Smith was born in Georgia, where his father was a sergeant major in the 6th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Oglethorpe.

When he enlisted in the Army on 30 June 1942, a review board waived basic training and instead sent him to officer candidate school at Fort Riley.

He later received helicopter flight training and, in 1961, completed a Bachelor of General Studies degree in military science at the University of Omaha.

Smith later served as commander of the Army Aviation Center and Fort Rucker from July 1976 to December 1978.

[5] His final assignment was as director of training in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans in the Department of the Army at the Pentagon.