Army Capt. Landgrave Smith understands when he steps out with his fellow soldiers and prepares for a patrol mission in Iraq that he could lose his life without ever meeting his infant daughter.

But that doesn't stop the Norman soldier from completing a job he is proud to accomplish.

Smith, 29, serves with Company D, Task Force 1-63 Armor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, based out of Fort Riley, Kan. He is company commander of Company D, TF 1-63 Armor.

"I'm with four platoons of great guys," he said.

Smith is in the middle of his second deployment to the Middle East. His military unit is stationed at Mahmudiyah, Iraq, about 20 kilometers south of Baghdad.

That's a far distance from his family and friends waiting for him in Norman and Fort Riley.

Smith was born in Oklahoma City, but said he calls Norman home. He went to Norman schools and graduated from Norman North High School in 1998.

His mother, Jamie Featherston, lives in town, and his father, Landgrave Smith, resides in Oklahoma City.

Smith attended the University of Oklahoma from 1998-1999, and participated in Army ROTC. It was during his time at OU that he applied and was accepted into the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.

He spent the next four years earning a military education at West Point. Smith graduated in May 2003 with a bachelor's degree in international relations.

"After I graduated, I went to Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, and from there I was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart," Smith said.

That's when Smith received orders for a 12-month deployment to Iraq. He arrived in the Middle Eastern country in January 2005 and left exactly a year later.

Upon return to the United States, Smith's next assignment was to Maneuver Captains Career Course at Fort Benning, Ga.

From there, Smith went to Fort Riley. He deployed to Iraq in October.

Smith said his vision of a career in the armed forces goes back to his childhood.