Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, 33, of Tampa, Fla.; assigned to 11th Engineer Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed in action in Iraq.
Like any good military man, Paul Smith had a plan: become a professional soldier and have a family.
He completed both missions long before he was killed in action April 4 at age 33.
Smith, a 14-year Army veteran and father of two, enlisted shortly after graduating from Tampa Bay Technical High School in 1989. Within a year, he was in the Gulf, serving in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Later, he went to another of the world’s hot spots, Bosnia.
“He had his life mapped out since he was 18,” his stepfather, Donald Pvirre, told The Tampa Tribune. “That’s what he wanted to do.”
He did it well. Pvirre said Smith had “earned medals from all over.”
“He did not die in vain, and we know that,” Smith’s sister, Lisa DeVane of South Georgia, said in a statement released by the family.
“Paul died serving his country with pride, honor and integrity, and believing in the just cause of this war,” she said. “Our nation was fortunate to have him as a soldier. We as a family were blessed to have him as a son, brother, husband, father and uncle. He will be missed greatly.
“Paul made it clear that it was privilege for him to lead 25 of America’s finest soldiers into war, and he was prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure their safe return, and he did.”
Smith is survived by his wife, Brigit, and two children, Jessica and David.
— USA Today and The Associated Press
