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Hickam Airman a Defender on base, basketball court

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alexander Martinez
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  Ever since he was a child, Senior Airman Lortavius Smith always knew he wanted to join the Air Force, and he has always loved playing basketball.

With his hard work on the basketball court and with the support of his leadership in the 647th Security Forces Squadron, he was able to be one of 12 Airmen selected to be part of the Air Force Men's Basketball Team.

"It's been great to be part of something so big," Smith, a 647th SFS defender, said. "I get to represent the Air Force and the U.S. in something I love doing."

Smith, a Toomsboro, Ga., native, has always been passionate about the Air Force and basketball. He played in high school, while at the same time a member of his school's junior reserve officer training corps. He continued to play in college at Cleveland State Community College before joining the Air Force.

The process of making the Air Force team took about a year and a half because when he first made the team for the 2014 season, sequestration kicked in, cancelling the season. He applied again in October 2014, tried out and made it.

Recently, he and his teammates participated in the Armed Forces Men's Basketball Championship Tournament in San Diego, beating out the Army, Navy and Marines to win gold for the Air Force the seventh year in a row.

"We played well and worked well together as a team," Smith said. "It's a good feeling to continue the Air Force's winning streak."

Smith's skills earned him a spot on the U.S. Armed Forces Men's Basketball team. His first event as a member of the team was the SHAPE International Basketball Tournament in Belgium Dec. 6, where they beat out Italy, Kuwait, Latvia, France, Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium, and the reigning champions, Lithuania, for the gold.

Smith said his teammates and their dynamic helped them win.

"[The U.S. Armed Forces Men's Basketball Team] is the best team I've played on in my entire life," Smith said. "It was just amazing how we all came together. Nobody was selfish and everybody contributed. I knew the tournament was big but I didn't realize it until we started to play."

As security forces Defender, Smith has the responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of the joint base populous and said he was very thankful for the support he's received from the 647th SFS.

"The Joint Base Security Department is very proud of his selection to the armed forces team.  It speaks volumes of his commitment as a Defender and Air Force member," said Master Sgt. Russel Raymundo, 647th SFS first sergeant. "

Up next for the U.S. Armed Forces Men's Basketball team is the 6th Conseil International du Sport Millitaire World Military Games Oct. 2-11 in South Korea.

Smith said he's excited about his future of playing with the Air Force and the U.S. Armed Forces teams.

"I'm just going to continue to play and do my best to see where it leads me," Smith said. "Being in the military I think our military bearing and discipline will help us through. It helps us work together and win."