He's on the right.
Posted on 02/02/2005 11:05:33 AM PST by MisterRepublican
Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, who spent his boyhood in Tampa, became a man in the Army and died outside Baghdad defending his outnumbered soldiers from an Iraqi attack, will receive America's highest award for bravery.
President Bush will present the Medal of Honor to Smith's wife, Birgit, and their children Jessica, 18, and David, 10, at a ceremony at the White House, possibly in March.
The official announcement will come soon, but the Pentagon called Mrs. Smith with the news Tuesday afternoon.
"We had faith he was going to get it," Mrs. Smith said from her home in Holiday, "but the phone call was shocking. It was overwhelming. My heart was racing, and I got sweaty hands. I yelled, "Oh, yes!' ... I'm still all shaky.
"People know what's he's done ... people know that to get a Medal of Honor you have to be a special person or do something really great."
What Paul Smith did on April 4, 2003, was climb aboard an armored vehicle and, manning a heavy machine gun, take it upon himself to cover the withdrawal of his men from a suddenly vulnerable position. Smith was fatally wounded by Iraqi fire, the only American to die in the engagement.
"I'm in bittersweet tears," said Smith's mother, Janice Pvirre. "The medal isn't going to bring him back. ... It makes me sad that all these other soldiers have died. They are all heroes."
With the medal, Smith joins a most hallowed society.
Since the Civil War, just 3,439 men (and one woman) have received the Medal of Honor. It recognizes only the most extreme examples of bravery - those "above and beyond the call of duty."
(Excerpt) Read more at sptimes.com ...
God Bless his family and his memory. First Medal of Honor in over 11 years and only 3d since Viet Nam.
We sacrifice America's best for the cause of freedom around the world but tolerate "runts of the litter' - Ted Kennedy - who give aid and comfort to the enemy for the sake of political power. Something is very wrong here.
God Bless and keep all our heros and be with their families in their time of need.
Another fallen hero. God bless his family.
He's on the right.
PING! Medal of Honor for SCE Paul R. Smith in Iraq. Thought you might want to send this to your group.
And from what otherwise is a very good story:
Smith is the first soldier from the Iraq war to receive the medal, which had not previously been awarded since 1993. In that year, two Army Special Services sergeants were killed in Somalia in an action described in the bestselling book Black Hawk Down
Sergeants Shugart and Gordon would probably prefer to be known as Special Forces Sergeants. Special Forces are our "fighting soldiers from the sky, fearless men who jump & die" types. Special Services runs the bowling alley.
God Bless him. It is men like him who make me proud to have served my country and to have fought in defense of the same flag he did.
11 years ago I only a few hundred yards away from where the last two Medal of Honor awardees (Sergeants Randy Shugart and Gary Gordon) put up their gallant fight in defense of Michael Durant.
< bawling my eyes out>
President Bush will present the Medal of Honor to Smith's wife, Birgit, and their children Jessica, 18, and David, 10, at a ceremony at the White House, possibly in March.
Thanks for the ping!
With men like this on the front lines of the defense of freedom, hope is rekindled.
God bless and keep you, Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith.
Me too.
So proud of this incredible self-sacrifice to protect his peoiple.
God bless, and RIP!
First since 8 July 2002, Humbert R. Versace.
Medals seem hardly enough.
Hero Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith ~ Bump!
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