“Mountains are not just one big rock; they are an accumulation of other rocks building each other up,” said Chief Master Sgt. Leray Smedley, 13th Combat Air Base Squadron senior enlisted leader. “That’s what I want other people to know when they see me. Everything I am is because of what others helped me to be.”
Smedley, a native of Elba, Alabama, has always stood up for others, has a natural ability to bring people together, and has built his career on continuously working to prove the naysayers wrong.
“It’s about blazing your own trail and being true to who you are,” Smedley said. “I deliver that consistently. That’s me to my core.”
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Early on, Smedley faced challenges that shaped him as a person. In kindergarten, he was diagnosed with a learning disability.
But that setback did not deter Smedley from pursuing a higher education or earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science, which later enabled him to secure a financially stable job as a programmer for a furniture company.
Little did Smedley know, his life and career would take a completely different turn after witnessing a tragic event unfold.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Smedley was at his grandmother’s house when the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York took place. This harrowing event is what Smedley attributed to his decision to enlist.
“I had uncles who served in the Vietnam and Korean wars,” Smedley said. “This is the turn of my generation. I had to do something.”
That same week, Smedley visited an Air Force recruiter’s office, where the recruiter informed him that he could leave for Basic Military Training as soon as three weeks from that day, but only if he took a job in aircraft maintenance.
“I’ll do it,” Smedley said. “I just want to go help serve my country.”
Smedley quickly excelled in maintenance. His dedication earned him a Below-the-Zone promotion, a maintenance professional of the year award, and continuous recognition of his leadership skills.
“I love the camaraderie of maintenance,” Smedley said. “The flightline is a family. It does something different to you.”
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Even with his strong ties to the maintenance career field, Smedley maintained a strong passion for technology. He seized the opportunity to support the Air Force mission in a new capacity, leading him to cross-train.
In 2007, he pursued a career shift to cyber operations, a significant transition from a physically demanding and close-knit job to a more technical and largely introverted career field.
While Smedley said that the majority of his coworkers chose to work alone, he strived to bridge the gap and bring the team together.
“At the end of the day, I just want to bring people together,” Smedley said. “I want to form a team and push us to a common goal.”
His leadership inspired those around him. Smedley entered the cyber field at a time when it was becoming a top priority in modern warfare, solidifying his impact.
In 2023, his unit was downsizing, which would have required Smedley to relocate and be separated from his family. However, Chief Master Sgt. Jason Shaffer, 56th Fighter Wing command chief, recognized his exceptional character and leadership, leading him to a new opportunity.
Shaffer recommended Smedley for the role of the 13th Combat Air Base Squadron senior enlisted leader, a newly formed unit responsible for training personnel for deployment. He was immediately selected.
This new position was unlike any Smedley had held before, because there were no guidelines or blueprint on how to do the job. He was tasked with building the foundation from the ground up, something he said was the most challenging yet rewarding aspect of this new mission set.
“Understanding the strategic vision for all these different entities has been a great opportunity,” Smedley said. “But most importantly, meeting the people and driving them to be mission-ready airmen has been the most satisfying of all.”
In 2010, while deployed in Iraq, he recorded a music CD in a broom closet and sent it to a radio station. A major label took notice and offered Smedley a touring opportunity.
The Air Force granted him a Permissive Temporary Duty and, using all his earnings from the tour, he was able to finally build the school.
“Seeing all those kids have class outside was heavy on my heart,” Smedley said. “I needed to do something.”
Through his partnership with a philanthropic foundation, he was also able to secure power for the facility, provide computers, equip every teacher with an iPad, and ensure each student had a desk and locker.
The transformation was miraculous, shifting their education from an outdoors setting to a fully functioning building. Smedley won the Department of Defense Spirit of Hope award for this accomplishment.
Despite all his achievements, Smedley stays humble.
“When you hit a road bump, that isn’t the time to quit,” Smedley said. “That’s the time to push through. And every scar you gain from that, you show others that scar and tell them, ‘I learned, I’m healed, and I am better from this scar, so if I can do this, you can, too.’”
From the beginning of his career, whether it was joining the military directly after 9/11 or raising money for impoverished young students in Africa, Smedley does everything with one goal in mind: to serve others.
It is this core value – service before self and working together with a “one team, one fight” mindset – that continues to fuel the Air Force’s success in the conflicts of today, tomorrow, and always.
Courtesy of Alabama News Center
