Iraq Hero Joins Hallowed Group (Medal Of Honor For Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith)

St. Petersburg Times ^ | February 2, 2005 | Alex Leary

[Marine Inspector]

God Bless and Semper Fi Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith.

[Calpernia]

Wow, he is a cutie!

[mark502inf]

AT EASE, Calpernia! Get on down and start doing push-ups until I'm tired. He was married!

[Calpernia]

I'm married too.

I can still appreciate a handsome guy though :)

[mark502inf]

First Medal of Honor in over 11 years and only 3d since Viet Nam..... First since 8 July 2002, Humbert R. Versace.

I was referring to when the episode of heroism occurred. Although Captain Versace's family was presented the MOH in 2002, it was for events that occurred in 1965. Your link was interesting--a nice source. I didn't realize we were presenting so many of these so many years after the fact.

[Lancer_N3502A]

This man is definately a hero.

But what ever happened to the Navy Seal who was knocked out of the CH-47 during Operation Anaconda? Who, having fallen tens of feet, mortally wounded and armed only with an M9 pistol, low crawled up to a Taliban machine gun nest, eliminated the crew then turned the machine gun onto the enemy. And having expended all the ammunition, went hand to hand with that enemy until he fell in battle and was animalistically chopped to pieces.

[A.A. Cunningham]

I was referring to when the episode of heroism occurred.

That's not what you wrote and I'm well aware of when Versaces' actions took place.

[dd5339]

MOH Ping!

Semper Fi

[Calpernia]

cross linking:

Iraq hero joins hallowed group

[Chieftain]

Excellent story! I encourage FReepers to email the author a note of congratulations. His email is: Leary@sptimes.com

[chiefqc]

ted "BLIMP MAN" kennedy has no redeeming moral qualities.

[NCCarrs]

His name was Neil C. Roberts => pic here:

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/central/03/05/ret.afghan.helicopter.horror/

Spc Ops Team retrieved his body => his bio, words to wife, other details can be read here:

http://www.pownetwork.org/afghanistan/r001.htm

[edfrank_1998]

There's a site at the link below that has a number of great remarks by some of his fellow soldiers.

found at: http://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oif/profiles/smithpaulr.html

Semper Fi

[Gilbo_3]

Prayers and thanks to SFC Smith, as well as to all other soldiers and their families. May God bless them all.

[speed_addiction]

There are soldiers and fighters and then there are WARRIORS. Soldiers and fighters are trained, molded, hone to a fine edge and sent into battle. Warriors are born. It is their calling. It is what they are. SFC Paul Smith can be listed in the latter category. I salute that man.

[Mike Fieschko]

BTTT, all the way TTT

[STARWISE]

Oh my ... this great man is the embodiment of devotion to duty, honor, country and troops. You just can't help but sob at the sheer raw bravery of his last stand. Let the word go out that there are still incredible young men who will dismiss their own safety to give all for the greater good. God Bless you, SFC Paul Smith. Your deeds and the honor you've brought to your family and country will live on. This is a true patriot warrior hero. I pray God's peace and blessings on your loving family.

We need to let people know about SFC Paul Smith, United States Military Hero... and a well-deserved Medal of Honor Recipient. Peace home, dear soldier.

Please read here, if you've missed the other links:

The Last Full Measure of Devotion

[TheSaurus]

Well whatchagonnado.... the report came from media weenies who have NO clue about anything concerning the military. Just par for the course, what.

[Finalapproach29er]

The President is required to salute MOH recipients.

I wonder if he salutes the widow at the posthumus ceremony?

Anybody know how that works?

[watchdog_writer]

"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."

But listen to the defining silence that will come from the left wing liberal democrats like Ted Kennedy. Expect Hillary to join in with false adulation for this great American hero and his family.

In stark contrast to the bravery of our fighting men, who support the President, we see liberal democrats running away from the fight. Afraid to stand and accept the consequences of war, as the President has done. These liberal deserters are cowards who concocted lies about the President.

Harry Truman, who ordered the death of millions of Japanese civilians, said “if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen”. Which is what the democrats have been doing ever since. They got out of Viet Nam, out of Mogadishu, and Somalia, failed in Angola, and out of Nairobi, and thankfully they are finally out of the Whitehouse.

THE MUKHABARAT, A SUDANESE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, spent the early to mid-1990s amassing copious amounts of information on bin Laden and his cohorts at a time when they were relatively unknown and their activities limited, author David Rose reports. From the fall of 1996 until weeks before the September 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, the Mukhabarat made repeated efforts to share its files on terrorists with the U.S. On more than one occasion senior F.B.I. officials wanted to accept the offers, but were apparently overruled by the State Department.

Would President Bush have had to give this family the Congressional Medal of Honor if the Clinton administration had stopped bin laden when they had the chance?