{"id":532539,"date":"2026-03-19T09:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T09:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/532539\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T09:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T09:36:08","slug":"young-marine-veteran-represents-pride-purpose-as-u-s-nears-250th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/532539\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Marine veteran represents pride, purpose as U.S. nears 250th anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 As the United States nears its 250th anniversary, Amazing America<\/a> is honoring the people whose service reflects the nation\u2019s pride, heritage, and enduring spirit. For Marine Corps<\/a> veteran Seth Smith, that spirit is defined by purpose\u2014and the determination to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n

Smith, 25, says he joined the Marine Corps for adventure and a sense of meaning. He wanted to serve and to be part of something bigger than himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted a sense. I wanted an adventure. I wanted to experience something different, and I wanted to serve. That\u2019s why I chose the branch,\u201d Smith said. \u201cDid it live up to my expectations? Absolutely, it exceeded them in almost every way.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his service, Smith deployed to Southeast Asia. But what he says stayed with him most wasn\u2019t just the mission\u2014it was the bond.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sense of community, the sense of brotherhood\u2014you make the best friends of your life,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou go through harrowing and special experiences with those people, and I got a lot out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

See also: Port St. Lucie Police Officer Loses 87 Pounds, Finds New Strength at 51<\/a><\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s life changed dramatically after an accident at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California left him a quadriplegic. Despite the injury, he says he wouldn\u2019t trade his experience in the Marine Corps for anything.<\/p>\n

Now, Smith is focused on independence and safety\u2014navigating daily challenges that many people take for granted.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why he turned to Warriors Choice, a local organization that supports veterans and first responders nationwide through physical and emotional recovery. Warriors Choice will provide Smith with a mobility-trained service dog to help with everyday tasks and to provide emotional support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mobility trained dogs are amazing they can do all sorts but the biggest thing that I struggle with honestly is opening doors,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

The dog will also offer an added layer of personal security. Smith says he was once robbed when someone stole his wallet from the back of his wheelchair\u2014an experience that reinforced the need to feel protected in public.<\/p>\n

The dog is expected to be born soon and will then be trained through Warriors Choice by founder Anthony Longo<\/a>, who says training a mobility dog for someone with Smith\u2019s needs requires specialized skills and careful planning.<\/p>\n

\u201cEstablishing that baseline for Seth is going to be very interesting getting him into a brace position, to do a transfer into a vehicle, or into a bed, or into his chair,\u201d Longo said.<\/p>\n

Smith says he\u2019s excited not only to receive the dog, but to learn alongside professionals during the training process\u2014building a partnership designed to increase his independence and quality of life.<\/p>\n

As America looks ahead to 250 years, Seth Smith\u2019s story is a reminder that the nation\u2019s spirit lives in resilience\u2014through service, sacrifice, and the will to adapt and keep going, no matter the obstacle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 As the United States nears its 250th anniversary, Amazing America is honoring…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-532539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}