TSgt Smith Brings Communication, Networking Skills to Public Affairs Office

One in a series highlighting service members assigned to the Exchange

Who he is: TSgt Eli Smith, NCOIC Strategic Communications, Executive Group

Years of experience: 12 years of service in the Air Force. Smith has been with the Exchange since October 2022.

Why he joined the Air Force: “I joined the Air Force when I was 27 years old to find fulfillment and purpose. I joined later in life after a successful career outside the military that left me wondering why I was using my life to do the things I was doing. The Air Force gave me a sense of purpose above just bringing home a paycheck. Both my brothers served, and it always made me proud of them and the meaningful things they were accomplishing. So I decided I’d join them.”

What he does in the Air Force: As a public affairs NCO, TSgt Smith tells the story of the world’s greatest Air Force to external and internal audiences.

“My career as public affairs NCO in the Air Force has been truly incredible,” Smith said. “I’ve done everything from hosting the DoD’s largest-reaching radio show at AFN Kaiserslautern in Germany, to managing a team of 11 public affairs Airmen at the only base in the DoD that hosts two of the three legs of the nuclear triad (bombers and missiles) in Minot, ND.”

We Go Where You Go: During his time in the Air Force, Smith has deployed in support of two wars and served overseas for five of those 12 years.

“Both in a deployed environment and while stationed overseas, the Exchange becomes a huge part of your daily life and routine,” Smith said. “While I was living in Germany, the Exchange’s KMC mall was such a big part of everything we did. It made being in another country feel a little less foreign.

“I remember being struck by how central the Exchange was to everything and everyone who was stationed in that area. People would drive from bases two hours away to shop there and enjoy all the amenities. Even locals would often get someone to bring them on base to experience that ‘American mall’ atmosphere with the movie theater and restaurants and all that it had to offer.”

His role at the Exchange: Smith’s role at the Exchange is much different from his Air Force experience.

“My role in public affairs here at the Exchange is vastly different from what I’m used to in the Air Force, and I think that’s a good thing,” Smith said. “In the Air Force, my focus has been on telling the story of the Air Force at the strategic level. My responsibilities most recently included missions documenting and delivering imagery of nuclear bomber missions being intercepted by Russian fighters. My team would fly with the B-52s and capture images and video to document training missions and how other countries responded. We had an extremely short turnaround time to deliver that imagery to the Pentagon. It was very intense.”

“Luckily, things are a little less stressful here at the Exchange, and I get to focus more on networking, analytics and tracking the scope and effectiveness of our communication efforts. We tell the Exchange story and do what we can to find new and improved avenues to get that story to those who benefit from hearing it. I’ve always been interested in networking and building relationships and, here at the Exchange, that seems to be woven into everything we do.”

Being part of the Exchange family: Smith says the Exchange has long been a part of his family, and he’s happy to be part of the Exchange family now.

“My two young kids have grown up on military bases, so the Exchange has been a part of their lives from day one,” Smith said. “Now it’s fun to tell them about my job at the Exchange and relate it to the stores that we visit on a weekly or even daily basis. Now I get to be part of the Exchange family like the Exchange has been a part of mine for so long.”