By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
OLD BRIDGE — United States Army Major Scott Smiley, who is the first blind active duty officer in military history, shared that losing his eyesight was a journey of forgiveness, acceptance and learning his purpose in life.
That journey began when his world went black on April 6, 2005, by a suicide car bomb.
Smiley was on detail in Mosul, Iraq, when he observed a suspicious vehicle.
“We can’t just shoot [someone] over suspicions,” he said, explaining that he made the decision to set a perimeter around the vehicle.
Following U.S. Army warfare rules of engagement that encourage minimum force to achieve a mission, he said he cordoned the suspicious vehicle with Stryker armored vehicles.
In his Stryker armored vehicle 30 yards away, surrounded by metal and wearing bulletproof glasses, Smiley said he felt safe yelling out to the driver to get out of his vehicle.
“He looked like an innocent man,” he recalled. “[The man] raised his hands, shaking his head ‘no.’”
Smiley again requested the driver to get out of his vehicle. The man again raised his hands shaking his head “no.”
“I fired off two rounds. Then boom, my world went black,” he said.
Smiley said he woke up three hours later blind and partially paralyzed.
“I felt my life was over,” he said. “I felt I had no purpose.”
With his high school sweetheart, Tiffany, by his side and the support of his friends and family, he learned to live as a blind man and move on with a purpose.
Some days were harder than others. He shared his first experience walking on his own with a blind stick, getting lost and breaking down asking, “Why me?”
“I learned life will have failures,” he said.
Smiley had only served two years with the Army when the incident occurred. With the support of his loved ones, he continued to serve active duty, teaching the values of the Army he learned in the academy.
He also has since climbed Mount Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park in the state of Washington, won an ESPY award for best outdoor athlete, completed an Ironman Triathlon, became a father, earned an MBA degree from Duke University and more.
Smiley shared his story as a guest speaker at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Mitchell Vassar Vision Awareness Day, which was held on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at the Grand Marquis in Old Bridge.
Allison Cerco, senior community outreach coordinator for Hackensack Meridian Health, said this is the first year they connected with local veterans associations to host the Army major for the annual event.
At the event, Smiley signed copies of his book, “Hope Unseen.”
The annual event provided participants with exhibitions from the Booker Health Sciences Library at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Meridian at Home, Meridian Care Journey, Meridian Rehabilitation, Meridian Sleep and Integrative Health Services at Raritan Bay Medical Center and the Joslin Diabetes Center, an affiliate at Raritan Bay.
Unwanted glasses were collected for the Lions Club Recycle for Sight Program benefiting visually impaired adults and children.
In addition, Suzannah Sabin, health coach at Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health and Medicine, discussed how a sense of purpose and learning skills to respond to stress can give meaning to one’s life and enable them to thrive.
The Mitchell Vassar Bright Future Legacy was made possible by a gift from Janice Mitchell Vassar.
Contact Kathy Chang at kchang@gmnews.com.
