Army vet from Pasco writes book about his life

A visit from an Army buddy a year ago has led to another achievement in Scott Smiley's life.

Doug Crandall -- who used to teach leadership classes at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and met Smiley when the young soldier served as a guest speaker -- dropped by last Christmas. The friends sat around Smiley's parents' house in the Tri-Cities, joking and telling stories.

Crandall was so intrigued and entertained by Smiley's tales that he suggested the Pasco native write a book.

"(I) said, 'I'll tell the stories and you write it,'" Smiley, 29, remembered.

He wasn't serious then. But that's exactly what happened.

Hope Unseen -- which chronicles Smiley's deployment to Iraq, the life-changing injury he suffered in a suicide bomb attack and his inspiring recovery -- is scheduled to hit bookstores next fall.

It's being published by Simon & Schuster.

With the book, "I wanted to focus on giving God the glory," said Smiley. "It's not about my life, but what God has done in my life and how he's inspired me and stood by my side through everything."

Smiley, an Army captain, grew up in the Tri-Cities and attended Pasco High School, where he was an accomplished athlete who helped lead the football team to a state championship his senior year.

He graduated from West Point in 2003 and later deployed to Iraq. In 2005, he was blinded in an explosion in Mosul triggered by a suicide bomber.

Shrapnel hit Smiley in the eyes and entered the left part of his brain. Surgery and months of recovery followed.

But Smiley didn't let his injury stop him -- far from it.

In the years since, he's surfed in Hawaii, gone skydiving and skiing and climbed Mount Rainier, a feat that earned him ESPN's 2008 ESPY award for Best Outdoor Athlete.

He was named 2007 Soldier of the Year by the Army Times. In 2008, he was inducted into Pasco High's Hall of Fame.

Smiley, who graduated last spring from Duke University with a graduate degree in business and now is an instructor at West Point, has shared his story with groups around the country.

Doing that hasn't always been easy, said the soldier, who doesn't like to talk much about his accomplishments. People have suggested in the past that he put together a memoir, but it didn't feel right until Crandall came along, he said.

Crandall came to the Tri-Cities about a year ago for a job after spending more than a decade in the Army. He happened to move in not far from Smiley's parents.

"From a faith-based perspective I'm kind of convinced we were brought together to do this," said Crandall, 38, who teaches a leadership course at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. "It's incredible that it worked out."

They spent the last year hashing out the manuscript via phone calls and in-person visits. Crandall flew across the country several times to meet with Smiley and his wife, Tiffany. He also interviewed other family members and friends who were part of the story.

They decided to call the book Hope Unseen because it was Smiley's faith in God -- and the hope it provided -- that ultimately saw him through the darkest hours after his injury.

"I definitely questioned (that hope) in the hospital bed, blind and half-paralyzed," he said. "But that hope came to life through my wife's prayers, her reading the Bible to me, my (family) being by my side."

He and Tiffany, who met in high school, now have two young sons, ages 21/2 and 7 months. The Smileys spent the Christmas holidays with their families in the Tri-Cities.

In the new year, Smiley will take on a new challenge -- one he's excited about.

Starting in February, he'll be commander of a New York-based company of 120 soldiers who've been injured or have other medical issues and are transitioning out of the military or to other posts.

Smiley said he's looking forward to the assignment because he's been where those soldiers are and has the skills and experience to help them.

He's excited about the book, too. He went forward with it not to highlight his own accomplishments but to give others hope, he said. He wanted to show people they can overcome the challenges they face, no matter how big.

"It's the faith and hope I want people to pull away," Smiley said. "If you have Christ in your heart, your life can be better than the sorrow you're feeling."

-- Sara Schilling: 582-1402; sschilling@tricityherald.com