August 21st, 2023 Archie L Smith was honored with a Distinguished Veterans Quilt for his service to our Country and Community. He’s also Vice President of Kiwanis Club of the Delta Antioch, and a Chef, and combines his talents to organize community feeding events, and to begin a training program for aspiring chefs to follow in his footsteps.
Archie L. Smith Jr. is a 46 year old Air Force veteran who has been helping our community’s veterans understand their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, feeding our communities youth and elderly, and creating programs that teach the youth about outdoor cooking and catering.
His life of service began with the Air Force from 1996-2000. Archie was a nuclear armaments systems journeyman and loaded munitions on fighter aircraft during operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch and Desert Shield. Archie decided to leave the military after 2 failed knee surgeries which classified him as unfit to serve overseas anymore. He was offered a job with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) when he went into their Oakland office to file his initial claim for VA disability benefits.
Archie spent the next 12 years learning about the VA claims system and representing veterans as a transitional and national service officer supervisor of Sacramento and the state of Louisiana. Archie would travel to our local military bases and provide a Transitional Assistance Program briefing to the military members soon to exit and become veterans. After he provided a benefits seminar, he would review their military records and advise them of their benefits one on one. Archie has traveled to the rural areas of our state and Louisiana, briefing and advising the veterans who lived too far away for proper claims assistance. He has personally interviewed thousands of veterans and written hundreds of their personal statements and letters for their doctors to aid in the establishment of VA benefits and has represented hundreds of veterans before Board of Veterans Appeals Administrative Law Judges. In 2012 Archie was forced to medically retire from employment with the DAV as a National Service Officer Supervisor because his own disabilities became so severe he could no longer represent veterans properly on a full time basis.
Archie was recognized as Veteran of the Year in 2020 for his continued service as a volunteer in our communities. He became a volunteer post service officer for the VFW in Brentwood, the American Legion in Antioch and the DAV in Vallejo, He was the Delta Veterans Group (DVG)s first Director of Veterans Development, he is the current Veterans Benefit Director for the La Clinica and VFW Post 10789 Brentwood’s partnership sponsored by John Muir, and serves as the vice president of the Kiwanis of Antioch Delta. He continues to service our communities veterans and youth through these organizations by using their support as a foundation to create programs of service. Archie provides a yearly veterans claims benefits seminar where he cooks and provides free food, a seminar, one on one claims counseling and access to other veterans service providers. He has started a monthly free food program for the Antioch youth and is currently working on fixing his off site kitchen so that he can train interested youth on how to cook outdoors, learn kitchen and food safety skills, obtain a grant that pays for food safety certification and materials needed to open a food service stand at our local Antioch Flea Market similar to the path Archie had to take after retiring from work. He hopes it will help students learn how to earn an income while pursuing further education and/or put them on his new chosen career as a chef/caterer.
Chef Archie Lee Smith Jr
Owner Archie’s S&Q Smoked and BBQ Meats inc.
Veterans service officer VFW Post 10789
2020 veteran of the year
Past National Service Officer Supervisor DAV
Vice President, Antioch Delta Kiwanis