MD State Senator Will Deploy To Afghanistan Before End Of Session

Alessia Grunberger
Maryland state Sen. William Smith Jr., D-Montgomery, will deploy to Afghanistan before the end of the General Assembly session.

SILVER SPRING, MD — Maryland state Sen. William Smith Jr., an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, will deploy to Afghanistan less than two weeks before the General Assembly session ends.

Smith will be deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Resolute Support, a NATO-led mission to train, advise, and help Afghan forces battling extremist groups, his office said Wednesday. The Montgomery County Democrat will report for duty on March 29.

"I have served my community in the House of Delegates and in the Maryland Senate for (the) past five years and now I am prepared for (the) opportunity to serve my country overseas," Smith said. "I have always regarded military service as one of the most important ways an individual can contribute to society and I look forward to doing my part during my upcoming deployment."

"Deployments often take service members away from the ones they love and the communities they cherish," he added. "I for one will miss every moment away from my daughter, my wife, and my hometown of Silver Spring."

Before leaving for Afghanistan, Smith's office said he will be working "diligently to ensure this news does not have an adverse effect on his legislative agenda."

Smith is currently the Senate chair of the Maryland Veterans Caucus and vice chair of the Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee.

"Senator Smith's dedication to public service now takes him overseas to Afghanistan as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve," Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller told Patch. "We're proud of his accomplishments and the work he has done on behalf of all the State of Maryland and pray for his safe return."

Image via Dave Asche