Today, I salute Army Veteran Richard Smith. Richard, a Ranger and Green Beret, spent 20 years in the Army, plus another 23 years after that in the Civil Air Patrol. Of all his accomplishments, tracking down his lost love might be his greatest. Richard and Jan first met in college in 1972. They dated for four years, but when Richard joined the Army, that relationship ended. “I was afraid it’d be too much for her, too dangerous, and she’d worry about me. That’s why I let her go. I didn’t want to,” Richard said. Both were married, never had children, and decades later, they never stopped thinking about one another. Richard said he prayed, asking the lord to help find her again, and a couple of months ago, they reconnected by phone. Smith flew to Georgia to visit Branton and delivered a huge surprise at the airport; he proposed on the spot. He said, “She is the dream I’ve been waiting for.. I’ve loved her for 50 years. Congratulations to you both, and THANK YOU, Richard, for your service.
