Born in San Francisco on 6 July 1943[2][3] and raised in Vallejo, California,[1] Smith enlisted in the US Navy in 1962.

Smith then reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

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.

[5] As a Navy Captain, Smith assumed command of Naval Special Warfare Group ONE (NSWG 1) in August 1989.