 March 2007With Pen in Hand W. Thomas Smith Jr.’s writing defines who he is
The list of national publications Tom has penned articles for is overwhelming. His articles have appeared in, among others, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Business Week, CBS News, The Washington Times, The New York Post, and, yes, Columbia Metropolitan. His stories cover a vast array of subject matters, but his primary focus is military/defense and the war on terror. Tom, a former Marine, writes a regular column for National Review Online and Townhall.com. He is director of the Counterterrorism Research Center of the Family Security Foundation, a military analyst for The Jim Bohannon Show radio program, and executive editor of World Defense Review. His work is not limited to magazines and newspapers, as he has written Decisive 20th Century American Battles, American Airborne Forces and The Korean Conflict. Tom’s writing on the military — whether on training missions with special operations forces or reporting from distant battlefields — is his raison d’etre and has been so noted on a national level. USA Today has dubbed Tom “a military expert.” The state of Kentucky recently recognized his work by bestowing upon him an honorary commission as a “Kentucky Colonel” (the state’s highest award). And his work has received much praise from servicemen stationed overseas. Though he specializes in writing about the complex world of the military and terrorism, Tom continually expands into other avenues. He most recently co-authored a book on Intelligent Design. His book Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency is critically acclaimed. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pirates, which Tom co-authored, has received rave reviews from Newsweek, The New York Post, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The book was featured on E! Entertainment Television, The History Channel and FOX News. In his days of youth, Tom became fascinated with stories of “The Swamp Fox” Francis Marion, other American patriots, swashbuckling pirates, English knights and basically all things military. “As a kid I was inspired not so much by writers, but by stories.” As time goes by, he finds unlimited sources of inspiration. “I am still inspired by stories, but now I’m inspired by the writers as well. In fact, I’m inspired by people every day, in all walks of life.” Though writing played an important part in his boyhood, Tom didn’t envision himself becoming a full time writer. At the time, writing was a way to capture on paper the memories unfolding before him. “I remember as a preteen being in awe of a snowfall, and feeling the only way I could describe the beauty of it was to write it down.” If only there were more hours in a day to spend capturing those memories. “The stories I actually enjoy writing most are those about family, being a boy and growing up in the South. But, that’s not what I do day in and day out. What I write most about is military. That’s where both the demand and my expertise are. I write for a living. I write to eat.” With six books under his belt, Tom has spent his share of time writing them, but it’s not what stirs the fire deep inside. “When you’re contracted to write a book, there are hard fast deadlines that must be met. It’s very isolating and tough, but rewarding. And it forces you to fully learn the subject of what you are writing about. However, I absolutely love to write for magazines and newspapers. It’s exciting because there’s something new and different happening everyday.” Exciting might be a bit of an understatement, as Tom’s knack for getting into the heart of a story sometimes comes at great personal risk: he covered the fighting in the Balkans in 1995 and clashes on the West Bank in 1997. He also lived on the streets to better understand the plight of homelessness. He deliberately breached security in public buildings years before 9/11 to expose security flaws. And he infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, reporting his findings to SLED and later testifying against the KKK in a watershed case that aired on Court TV. “Usually the risks are minimal,” he laughs. “I’ll never forget interviewing a guy in Iraq in 2005. We continued our conversation, even after enemy forces began attacking his position. He was on a satellite phone near Samarra. I was on a cell phone in Five Points.” Tom is scheduled to travel to Iraq this spring. As impressive as Tom’s writing accomplishments are, it’s the passion he exhibits in reaching out to others that sets him apart. He’s taught at USC’s College of Journalism, and he finds time to mentor new writers hoping to write the great American novel. He instills the age-old journalism credo “show, don’t tell” into all writers he coaches. Tom also spends time working with the homeless, visiting local nursing homes and playing a part in the daily lives of his family, especially his nephews Michael and Max. He even squeezes in time to ring the bell for the Salvation Army at Christmas. Tom says the key to happiness lies not simply in doing what he loves, but in loving and helping others. “It took me a long time to discover this, but the key to a fulfilling life — and I don’t mean for this to sound syrupy sweet — is that if all you do is take, and not give something back, you’re cheating yourself.” W. Thomas Smith, Jr. is a man living his dream. Not simply the dream of working everyday with the career he was born to, but growing the passion and love he has for his fellow man. The writing accomplishments are important, but they are just part of what his life is all about. “Of course I will be known as a writer, because that’s what and who I am, but it’s important for me to be remembered as someone who cared about his fellow man. How can you be fulfilled if you don’t do that?” How indeed. ### |