Edwin P. Smith

Lieutenant General Edwin P. Smith commanded the U.S. Army, Pacific from October 1998 to his retirement in November 2002. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1967 and went on to earn two graduate degrees. He earned a Master of Arts in English from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Business Administration from Long Island University. Smith is also a graduate of the Canadian National Defense College.

Smith served one tour in Vietnam during 1968 as an infantry platoon leader. Promoted to Brigadier General in 1993, Smith's major command prior to USARPAC was as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force in Vicenza, Italy. Other major duty assignments were as Deputy for Readiness for the U.S. Pacific Command from 1991-1993. He then served as Executive Officer to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, in Belgium, followed by a tour as Assistant Division Commander for the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

Awards and decorations
Smith's decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. His official retirement date was 1 January 2003. He later served as the Director of Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu from 2005 until 2011.


 * Defense Distinguished Service ribbon.svg Defense Distinguished Service Medal
 * Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg Army Distinguished Service Medal
 * US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon.svg Defense Superior Service Medal
 * Legion of Merit ribbon.svg Legion of Merit
 * Bronze Star ribbon.svg Bronze Star
 * Purple Heart BAR.svg Purple Heart