Green Beret medic thrives at Troy

Contributed photo Pictured: Patrick Smith.

Troy University is Patrick Smith’s current stop on a journey to become an acute care surgeon. As an active medic for the 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Smith enrolled at Troy after searching for an in-person university that would accept his military credits.

His love of medicine was sparked during his time as a Green Beret, or an 18-Delta.

“The driving force behind my route to medicine is just seeing the good that people are capable of, and seeing how really good professional medical providers can make such meaningful impacts,” said Smith, who is 34 years old. “Balancing everything is definitely a sacrifice, but one I deeply know is worth it.”

Smith is an interdisciplinary studies major. Two of his three minors consist of focused chemistry and biology courses, specially structured to meet all the requirements of medical school. His third minor consists of classes he took while in the military. Last semester, earning a place on the Chancellor’s List.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Smith joined the National Guard in 2011 with an intelligence role. He went through the Green Beret selection and spent three years training at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. He has spent the last four years as a Green Beret at 7th Special Forces Group on Eglin Air Force Base, but his active duty service will end in March as he then transitions to the National Guard as a Green Beret.

“It was really just about accepting every challenge I possibly could,” Smith said. “It was initially a challenge to join the military, and then it was a challenge to go active duty, to go to airborne school, to jump out of perfectly good airplanes.

“Then it was the challenge of becoming a Green Beret. I had to pick a specialty, and all I knew was that the medical specialty (18D) was the most demanding.

“It was just a byproduct of that schoolhouse where they instilled this deep knowledge and deep passion for medicine. The first trauma rotation I did was my moment. It was working shifts in the trauma bay at a level-one hospital and just seeing these surgeons dealing with the crisis that rolled in. I just found such great inspiration from how they handled themselves and how they were that steady hand, throughout.”

Smith said another formative experience he had in the military was the work he did against ISIS when working in the intelligence community. He said the work he did in the Middle East helped him develop empathy and a love of helping people during emergencies.

“Being a part of that coalition was extremely meaningful – you were just seeing instant feedback of the work that was being done,” Smith said. “You saw territories or cities being liberated.

“These people were given the choice to decide what is best for them rather than just being told exactly what they'll do and what we'll get to live by. Those formerly obsessed people are now liberated and democracy won.   “Then, once becoming a Green Beret, we're almost like the warrior diplomats. There's many different mission sets and reasons why we're where we are, but essentially, we're there to empower the very best in that culture or society to thrive.”

Smith plans to earn his bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2026. That summer he will take the MCAT before spending one year as a graduate student, perhaps getting his master’s at Troy University. Smith then plans to go to medical school, a general surgery residency followed by an Acute Care Surgical fellowship.

Smith said the community he found at Troy has played a key role in his success, whether it be his professors letting him make up a quiz he missed due to obligations at the military base or the Veterans Affairs Office answering his questions about meal plans.

Even though Smith comes from a different background than some of his peers at Troy University, he’s not much different than them. He decompresses by spending time with family and friends or watching TV – his favorite show at the moment is the Peacock original “Jackal.” He’s also on the speech and debate team.

During his class (PHI 2204) Ethics with Dr Lim, Smith made befriended a fellow classmate who invited him to join.

“In that ethics class, I became really interested in the perspective of my fellow college students and how we just have such different experiences and views, and I really just love trying to understand the why, I’ve also been impressed despite the differences how similar our stories truly are” Smith said. “It's important to me because I know that in the future, I'm always going to have this gap in age, and it’s something to embrace.”

Smith offered a piece of advice for those nervous about taking the next step to pursue their dreams.

“I consistently find myself using the rocking chair method. I imagine myself at 90 years old; what would I be thinking about? I certainly don’t want the thoughts to be about the risks or opportunities I didn’t take in life. I challenge everyone to sit for a minute and try the exercise for yourself.

“I’d also like to thank the numerous people in my life that have helped me get to this point; my teammates and fellow soldiers I’ve served alongside, the command team at 7th Special Forces Group for allowing me to pursue my passion of medicine over the last six months at Troy University, my family and the support of my partner.”

The views expressed in this article do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Army, Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.