#VeteranOfTheDay Army and Marine Corps Veteran Joseph Smith

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army and Marine Corps Veteran Joseph “Joey” Smith.

In 2005, during his fourth tour to Afghanistan, Joey sustained a spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury in an attack at his forward operating base. This left him paralyzed from the waist down.

During his recovery, he wrote down the words that the Marine Corps would adopt as the “Creed of the Wounded Warrior.” This creed would go on to inspire many other wounded warriors.

“Though I am wounded, I will always be a warrior. I will never give up, nor quit in the face of adversity. I will do my best in all that I do and achieve. I will not allow my injuries to limit me, and most of all, I will never forget my fallen comrades or leave a fellow injured warrior behind.”

Joey lived up to the creed. He competed in the Warrior Games, winning a gold medal in the air rifle competition. He was a member of the U.S. Biathlon Team, competing in Archery, hand cycling, swimming, and shooting. He completed his first Marine Corps Marathon on his hand cycle in 2009.

Before his injuries, Joey was a boxer for both the Army and the Marines and appeared on HBO in a boxing tournament in 2002.

Joey passed away Aug. 6, 2017. We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much of the information as you can put together with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating for how to create the best submission.