Retired U.S. Marine Joseph Quinton "J.Q." Smith served the United States of America during World War II, the Korean War, two tours of duty during the Vietnam War and was twice awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in combat.

And to think that the Marines almost didn't take him.

In fact, Smith, now 83, sneaked his way into the Marines

"I was a young boy and I didn't weigh enough to get in the Marines," Smith said. Employing the spunk that he still has today, he took a recruiter's advice and during the train ride from his hometown of Cantonment, Fla. to Alabama to enlist, he gorged himself on six pounds of bananas, popcorn and all the water he could hold.

After arriving – and having his stomach pumped, literally – he went to the post office where sign-ups were taking place.

"There were two lines. The Marines had a minimum weight of 120 and the Navy was 110," he said. "I weighed in in the Navy line then jumped back in on the Marines line and nobody saw me," he said smiling with his country charm.

Thus began Smith's life of service that has taken him through four tours of duty in places as far flung as the South Pacific, the Philippines, China, Japan, Norway and of course Korea and Vietnam.

Retiring after 30 years with the Marines, Smith landed on Kaua`i in 1968 where he now manages the Kaua`i Veterans Museum, provides security for the Social Security office and operates with a partner Ahakea Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.

Still a trim 145 pounds, looking fit in his Marines uniform while working at the Kaua`i Veterans Museum, complete with his black shoes polished to a shine, Smith exudes kindness and is delightful company.

And though he's happy to share memories of his life, relaying funny stories with pinpoint memory and a sparkle in his eyes, he is quite humble about his military service, emphasizing that many, many veterans went through far worse wartime experiences than he did, and asking that they, and those who never came home, also be honored.

Smith earned his first Purple Heart in March 1945 in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Smith was an aerial gunner in a dive bomber plane, carrying only him and the pilot, when the plane in front of them bombed a minefield.

"When we came in, it blew up and some of the shrapnel came in the bottom of the plane. It went through my shoe and came up through the top of my foot and pinned me to the floor," he said. "The plane was not in good shape after that. The pilot called and said 'Sergeant, we're going to have to bail out.' I said 'I can't get out.' "

They were 30 minutes from the airport. The pilot decided to keep flying and to try to land the plane.

"We landed on a grassy area alongside the strip and they came out and sawed my foot out of the runner," Smith said.

After a couple months recovery, Smith was back in action. "They didn't send people home in those days," he said. "You got well and went back."

After World War II ended, Smith was sent to China then eventually came home before leaving for the Korean and Vietnam wars.

It was during this time at home when he met his wife Lillian.

Spotting a beautiful girl learning how to ice skate, Smith joined her in the rink, ostensibly to help her.

"I asked her, 'What school do you go to?' " She said 'What Boy Scout Troop do you belong to?' When Smith told her he was a Marine, she let him know she was with the FBI, a fingerprint technician.

"She checked me out. I had no record so she took me," he said. "We got married in 1947 and we've been married ever since." The Smith's daughter came along seven years later and she now has four children who have given the Smiths four great-grandchildren, all born, raised and still on Kaua`i.

After retiring from the Marines, Smith, not one to hold still for long, worked at Ono Family Restaurant, which his daughter Sharon and her husband started. It was a family affair: Smith and his son-in-law cooked, Lillian was cashier, Sharon worked in the office and Smith's granddaughters were hostesses.

After the restaurant was sold in 1993, Smith and Lillian moved to California, where they operated an ostrich-raising business on a 20-acre ranch for 10 years. "It was a lot of fun," he said. But after dust mites that collect on ostrich feathers affected Smith's lungs, they sold the business and came home to Kaua`i.

"I was about to die. It was like breathing asbestos. I could hardly walk when I came back here," he said. "By walking and breathing the (Kaua`i) air and getting lung treatment, I came out of it. I'm a dynamo now."

After regaining his vitality, Smith went to O`ahu where he started three restaurants in Hawai`i Kai, Ward Warehouse and Kailua, eventually selling two. "So then I retired again," he said. "This is my third or fourth retirement."

Smith's idea of retirement includes working several days per week at the Kaua`i Veterans Museum inside the Kaua`i Veterans Center and providing security at the Social Security office in Lihu`e. With partner Lambert Aki, he also works on air conditioning and refrigeration systems, including those at the Veterans Center and at both Salvation Army Kokua Kitchens. "Other Marines helped me," he said.

Smith attributes his high energy level to his positivity and having taken good care of himself all his life.

"I was brought up to be clean and decent and honorable," he said, explaining that he no longer smokes and only drinks an occasional beer.

"I take one vitamin pill every morning and I have a good attitude, from my feet up," he said. "When you have an attitude from the head down, you have a problem, but if you grow it from the bottom up, you don't have any problem."

Though he says he sometimes experiences flashbacks of war atrocities, he said keeping healthy and active has successfully kept post-traumatic stress at bay.

There are other benefits to his healthy lifestyle. While working at the Veterans Center, "I go into the break room and they say, 'You got out of that chair like greased lightning,' " he said.

Though Smith has accomplished more than most any other three people since his retirement from the Marines, it's his 30 years of service for his country that has always set the tone for his life.

It is fitting that his birthday, Nov. 10, is also the birthday of the Marine Corps.

"I'm very patriotic. I fly my flag. I believe in my country. I want everybody else to appreciate the freedom they have. Remember who gave it to them," he said, becoming visibly emotional. "It only takes a second to say 'Thank you."

Smith said when he returned from Vietnam, he was not subject to the disdain many soldiers have reported, such as being spit at or called awful names. But he said people did look the other way when he walked by, and that sometimes that still happens.

"I can understand it because here they're walking around in a free country doing what they want to do but they can't appreciate the fact that these guys made it so they can do that. Those are the guys who died or were wounded," he said, tears welling up in his eyes. "But there are other people who love you and think admirably of you. You chose your life."

And J.Q. Smith loves the life he chose.

"I appreciate my life and I appreciate my family, my grandchildren. I've got so much to live for," he said. "It's a wonderful life."