doi:10.7916/97dw-ad43Oral history interview with Willie Earl Smith Jr., 2021Smith, Earloral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesHospitality industry--ManagementVietnam War, 1961-1975VeteransSmith, EarlObama, BarackUnited States. ArmyEarl Smith discusses his service in the U.S. Army, his career in the hospitality industry, and his encounters with Barack Obama, including the moment in 2008 when he gave Obama the patch of the 173rd Airborne Brigade that he had carried since his tour in Vietnam, and which Obama carried on the 2008 campaign trail. Smith describes the meaning of the patch, and shares the story of his invitation to Obama's second inaugural, at which Smith sat in the first lady's box, met with the secretary of veterans affairs, and spent time with President Obama in the Oval Office. Smith also reflects on his experiences returning from Vietnam as a veteran in the late 1960s, the racial disparities in the U.S. forces in Vietnam, and the influence that the writings and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X have had on his life