Evans City Mayor Dean Zinkham presents veteran banners to David Smith and his wife, Mary, in honor of his being named as Butler County Veteran of the Year for 2022 during the Evans City Borough Council meeting Monday night. Christine Border/Special to the Eagle

EVANS CITY — David Smith, Butler County’s Veteran of the Year for 2022, was honored by borough council Monday night.

“Those of us who have been veterans, we made a promise to uphold the Constitution of the United States, we made a promise, we now have a promise to those veterans,” Smith, a Marine, said.

Near the start of the meeting, Smith and his wife, Mary, were presented with four Veteran Banners by Mayor Dean Zinkhann. The two large banners will be hung in Connoquenessing in the spring and two small banners were given to the Smiths to take home.

Smith served in the Marine Corps for 34 years after he enlisted at just 16 years old in 1965. By the time he turned 18, he was deployed to Vietnam.

“It is an honor that can’t be described, because I (thought that I) was just a plain old veteran,” Smith said. “But my attitude changed a lot when I started working with the VA and joining the organizations. Just to be called the Veteran of the Year is ranked right up there with any of the highest awards I got in the Marine Corps.”

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