Kenneth A. Smith

Kenneth A. Smith 
We Honor Veterans Volunteer Service
Hospice and Community Care, Lancaster, PA 

A graduate of the University of Houston with a BS in Civil Engineering, Kenneth Smith enlisted in the US Navy Flight Program while the Vietnam War was still raging. After completing Aviation Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned as an Ensign, and sent to flight school. It is worthy of note that of his original class of 148, Ken was one of only 12 who completed Navy Flight Training and was designated a “Naval Aviator,” earning his “Navy Wings of Gold.”  During his 20 year career in the Navy, Ken flew many different types of aircraft including a fighter/bombers, a passenger/cargo aircraft, and a specialty aircraft designed to transport passengers, cargo, and mail aboard aircraft carriers at sea. He logged thousands of hours of flight time and landed on aircraft carriers more than 785 times. Because of his high level of experience he was also assigned to be a flight instructor, training future Navy pilots in the art and skill of landing on an aircraft carrier at sea. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

In 1985 he was hired by American Airlines. In slightly less than 6 years, he was designated “Captain” on the Boeing 727. While at American Airlines, he flew both domestic and international routes as a Captain on the Boeing 727, the MD-80, the Boeing 757, and the Boeing 767 aircraft. In 2005, Ken retired from American Airlines and he and his wife Deb moved to Ireland.

Returning to “the States” in 2007, he took another flying job. This time it was with a charter airline, flying the troops home from the War in Iraq. After taking office in 2009, (then) President Obama pledged to the American people that he would bring 30,000 troops home from the War in Iraq by August of that year. On March 3rd, 2009, Ken volunteered to fly as Captain on the first commercial Boeing 767 to fly directly into Iraq since the Second Gulf War began. His task was to pick up 250 U.S. Marines with all of their gear, and fly them directly home. Incidentally, his co-pilot was also a retired Naval Aviator.

In 2012 Ken retired for the third and final time. During his 40 year career in aviation, he logged more than 20,000 hours of flight time, flew to 85 different countries, instructed hundreds “fledgling aviators,” ejected from a Navy aircraft, and lived to tell about it, and flew more than 1 million passengers safely to their destinations.

Hanging up his wings wasn’t the end of his saga. He has been a Hospice Veteran Volunteer since 2013. In 2016, Ken was awarded the prestigious Heart of Hospice and Palliative Care Award. As a Veteran Volunteer, he has visited and honored (literally) hundreds of Veterans who are approaching the end of life. He believes that: no Veteran should be forgotten, and that every Veteran should be honored for the sacrifices that they made in order to serve our country. Ken continues to serve actively as a Hospice Veteran Volunteer. 

The 2023 Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Awards were sponsored by the Furst Group and NuBrick Partners