MILTON -- A retired U.S. Army captain with local ties will appear today on a "Days of Our Lives" episode honoring veterans.
Retired Capt. Leslie N. Smith -- a former public affairs officer whose parents, Nelson and Nancy Smith, live in Milton -- taped an episode of the NBC soap opera last fall that deals with one of the show's characters joining a post-traumatic stress disorder support group. Smith and four other veterans appear as themselves on the show, which airs this afternoon.
"Hopefully, this will raise awareness that it is OK to get help," she said.
Smith, 42, was serving in Bosnia during 2001 and 2002 when she contracted a blood virus that caused her to lose her left leg and vision in her left eye.
She retired from the military as a result of the injuries and launched into a new career in public speaking across the country about post-traumatic stress. She stopped working after losing vision in her right eye in late 2010, but Smith said she's working to get back into public speaking.
It was during her travels that Smith met "Days of Our Lives" actress Deidre Hall in 2009, and they kept in contact.
Still, Smith said she was surprised to get a call from Hall last year asking her to take part in the show.
"It was just out of the blue. We had kept in contact, but it was sporadic," she said.
Her brief acting gig in Los Angeles was a gift she shared with her mother.
"My mom went with me to the taping in October, which was ironic since one of my fondest memories was of sitting in the recliner watching 'Days of Our Lives' with my mom while she ironed," Smith said.
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