Scotty Smiley

Major Scotty Smiley is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation, he went on to complete the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School. In 2005, while leading a 45-man platoon in Mosul, Iraq, Major Smiley found himself in front of a suicide car bomb. Shrapnel from the blast blew through his eyes leaving him blinded and temporarily paralyzed. He woke up at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center a week later. After this life-changing incident, Major Smiley was determined to continue to serve the United States in the Army, becoming the first blind active-duty officer in military history.

The Army Times named Major Smiley “Soldier of the Year” in 2007, and in 2008, he won an ESPY as the world’s Best Outdoor Athlete after earning the title, “Ironman,” by completing a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon in 105 degree heat. After receiving a Master of Business Administration from Duke University, Major Smiley taught the core course in leadership at West Point and then commanded the Warrior Transition Unit at West Point’s Keller Army Medical Center. He received the Army’s prestigious MacArthur Leadership Award and an honorary Ph.D. from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York. In 2010, Major Smiley received the prestigious Father of the Year award from the National Father’s Day Committee, an entity of the Father’s Day/Mother’s Day Council, which each year confers Father of the Year honors on leaders of our nation whose lives are dedicated to family, citizenship, charity, civility, responsibility and reverence.

After many years of service, Major Smiley retired from the military in 2015. During his military career, he was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, Ranger Tab, Airborne Wings and Combat Diver Qualification Badge. He currently works with the Capital Markets Department at Drexel Hamilton out of New York as an investment banker for corporations and banks around the world.

With a passion for using his story to build hope in our world, Major Smiley authored the book, “Hope Unseen,” in 2010, and now travels the country speaking and sharing his message of perseverance, courage and hope. He is an avid adventurer and has climbed Mt. Rainer, gone skydiving and surfing, and is always looking for his next chance to try something new. Major Smiley is married to his high school sweetheart, Tiffany. They are the proud parents of Grady, Graham and Baylor.