Greg Smith was born in Welland, Canada, but moved to the United States at a young age. In 1963, after being kicked out of the University of Ohio on an ROTC scholarship, Smith enlisted in the Marine Corps to avoid the draft. He was offered the opportunity to go back to Canada, but as he no longer had family there, he had to stay in the US and go to Vietnam. Stationed in Hawaii in 1965, Smith recalls being served C-Rations for dinner, alerting him that the Marine Corps was subtly preparing him for battle. As Smith was with one of the first units to land in Vietnam, he had the rare opportunity to go with and leave with the same brigade. He served two tours, and received a combat related Purple Heart each tour. Smith still experiences PTSD to this day, and recounts the stories that haunt him in his interview.