By Pamela Wood | November 19, 2019
When state Sen. William C. Smith Jr. returned to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport after a six-month deployment with the Navy to Afghanistan, he was most nervous about reuniting with his 18-month-old daughter, Jacqueline.
They’d been video-chatting while he was away, but would she remember her dad? At the airport, she came up to him and ran her hands over his hair and tugged his ears.
“She recognized me, so that was really great,” Smith said.
While Smith was gone, his daughter grew from “a baby baby” to a toddler who runs around and spills out a flurry of words in both English and Spanish.
The Maryland political world changed, as well: House of Delegates Speaker Michael E. Busch died and was replaced by Del. Adrienne A. Jones. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller announced he’s stepping down from his leadership position, to be replaced by Sen. Bill Ferguson. All are Democrats.
“This is a complete time warp, coming back,” said Smith, a Montgomery County Democrat.
Smith missed the last few days of the 2019 General Assembly session to start his first deployment. He landed back on U.S. soil in late October and is gradually returning to civilian and political life.