Saturday, May. 30, 2009

Family proud of dad's work

Resident deployed for Afghan effort

Lilly Smith and her daughter Faith remembered the heart of their family on Memorial Day, as did so many others in the area.

Doyce W. Smith, husband to Lilly and father to Faith, has been deployed as a team instructor/international police officer for the past 19 months.

This year, Faith was able to honor her father before her classmates and teachers at the Memorial at the Bay celebration held at Ocean Bay Elementary. She and her mother were decked out in red, white and blue for the occasion, but it was Faith and a tightly held photo of her father who took center stage with the pledge during the program. Her pride for her father was obvious to all.

Asked to describe the hardest part of her husband's deployment, Lilly Smith said their daughter Faith is the toughest challenge for her and for her husband.

Although they get to talk to him on the phone and via e-mail, that's no substitute for Faith being able to share the smallest of accomplishments of a second-grade girl's day, or just being able to come home and give him a hug.

Those small things that the rest of us take for granted are missed dearly by a little girl and her father who is so very far away. Lilly said Doyce gets a lump in his throat when he sees how much of Faith's life he is missing.

Doyce Smith is assisting in the training of the Afghan people to start their own police department and defend their territory against the Taliban. His 17 years of experience, which include assignments as a K-9 handler, pepper spray instructor and firing range instructor, make him a valued asset.

In his words: "It is like running a full police academy."

Neither Lilly nor Faith could be more proud of him, but they are ready to be proud with him at home.

Both looking are looking forward to a two-week leave in June when Doyce will return for Faith's birthday.

When asked what she is looking forward to, Faith said: "I'm going to the water park with my daddy!"