Page 23 - The Dispatch September 2018

The coalition leaders and Guardsmen both emphasized the TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT
need for first responders, schools and hospitals to be a part of
the coalition efforts.

“It will take every one of us to change this and to synthesize
our efforts,” Villa-Smith said. “What we are doing with Civil
Ops is just as paramount as our criminal analyst mission. It’s
just as impactful, because if we don’t reduce demand there is
no way to win the war.”
Filled with ambition and hope for the future, Villa-Smith
hasn’t forgotten the strong community that gave him balance
as a young child watching his father struggle through addic-
tion.

“My mother, my strong Pentecostal community, neighbors
and friends were the ones who instilled values in me in order
to avoid that kind of lifestyle,” Villa-Smith said. “It took a syn-
thesis of efforts. That is why I turned out the way I did today
and another reason why I believe in civil ops.”

After 11 years of not knowing whether his father was dead or
alive, Villa-Smith was finally able to make contact with him. By
that time, his father was an entirely different person.

“I didn’t see the same man anymore and it was everything
in me to try to support him and help him to move past this,”
Villa-Smith said. “What I could do just wasn’t enough, it was
just too much for one person, even a son.”
Just shy of 30 years old, Villa-Smith imparted years of wisdom
that displayed his investment in combating the war on drugs
and what he experienced while watching a loved one battle
addiction.

“Sometimes it’s not the rappers on TV or the narco-culture
itself but it’s us turning a blind eye to our friends and our fam-
ilies and allowing them to continue to struggle like that,” Vil-
la-Smith paused and gathered his thoughts. “That is the main
culprit of the demise of our communities. We turn a blind eye
all too often, but we have to be there for each other.”
Villa-Smith received the tragic phone call that his father had
died of an overdose on his 27th birthday, just a little over two
years ago.
“You never think it will happen until it happens to someone
you love, then you’ll wish that somebody had been involved—
OUR FORCE
drugs affect so many of us,” Villa-Smith said as he took a deep
breath. “If you love someone don’t give up on him or her and
if you have a problem get help. If not it will cost you every-
thing like it did my father and family.”

Not only is Villa-Smith personally invested in impacting his
community, but he is also pursuing two different master’s 2ND LT. LILIANA CHAVEZ URIBE
degrees in software engineering and business administration Aeromedical Evacuation Officer,
with a focus in finance. These degrees, he says, will enrich his Texas Army National Guard,
knowledge in every aspect of his counterdrug duties.

“This is my passion, to assist in the reduction of demand and " I serve my country to give back for all of
fighting drugs on the street today,” Villa-Smith said.-D the life changing opportunities it has given
me and my family."
www.tmd.texas.gov 23