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Iraq Hero Joins Hallowed Group (Medal Of Honor For Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith)
St. Petersburg Times ^ | February 2, 2005 | Alex Leary

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 ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: army; hero; hooah; iraq; medalofhonor; moh; oif; paulsmith; soldier; stud; valor
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To: MisterRepublican

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


21 posted on 02/02/2005 11:55:30 AM PST by Marine Inspector (Customs & Border Protection Officer)
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To: mark502inf

Wow, he is a cutie!


22 posted on 02/02/2005 11:57:18 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia

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


23 posted on 02/02/2005 12:01:08 PM PST by mark502inf
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To: mark502inf

I'm married too.

I can still appreciate a handsome guy though :)


24 posted on 02/02/2005 12:02:12 PM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: A.A. Cunningham
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.

25 posted on 02/02/2005 12:04:14 PM PST by mark502inf
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To: MisterRepublican

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.


26 posted on 02/02/2005 12:04:15 PM PST by Lancer_N3502A
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To: mark502inf
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.

27 posted on 02/02/2005 12:13:59 PM PST by A.A. Cunningham
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To: Vic3O3; cavtrooper21

MOH Ping!

Semper Fi


28 posted on 02/02/2005 12:24:50 PM PST by dd5339 (A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path.)
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To: mark502inf
cross linking:

Iraq hero joins hallowed group

29 posted on 02/02/2005 12:26:05 PM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: MisterRepublican; Recovering Ex-hippie
Excellent story! I encourage FReepers to email the author a note of congratulations. His email is: Leary@sptimes.com
30 posted on 02/02/2005 12:27:53 PM PST by Chieftain (Thank you Swift Boat Veterans/POWs/Vietnam Veterans for Truth - you did it for ALL your brothers!)
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To: caisson71

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


31 posted on 02/02/2005 12:33:40 PM PST by chiefqc
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To: Lancer_N3502A

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


32 posted on 02/02/2005 12:42:08 PM PST by NCCarrs (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/12/30/quake.usa.editorial.reut/index.html)
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To: MisterRepublican

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


33 posted on 02/02/2005 12:44:06 PM PST by edfrank_1998
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To: speed_addiction

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


34 posted on 02/02/2005 12:59:38 PM PST by Gilbo_3 (Patience is a virtue, but it aint one of mine !!!)
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To: mark502inf

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.


35 posted on 02/02/2005 1:13:42 PM PST by speed_addiction (Ninja's last words, "Hey guys. Watch me just flip out on that big dude over there!")
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BTTT, all the way TTT


36 posted on 02/02/2005 1:40:21 PM PST by Mike Fieschko
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To: speed_addiction; Brad's Gramma; ohioWfan; prairiebreeze; snugs; JustaCowgirl; kitkat; TexKat; ...
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

37 posted on 02/02/2005 1:40:34 PM PST by STARWISE (IRAQ -- A four-letter word that means struggle,bloodshed, perseverence, courage,goodness &freedom!)
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To: mark502inf

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


38 posted on 02/02/2005 1:44:31 PM PST by TheSaurus
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To: MisterRepublican

The President is required to salute MOH recipients.

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

Anybody know how that works?


39 posted on 02/02/2005 2:07:21 PM PST by Finalapproach29er (I can no longer separate a reality story from satire on this site. People are losing their senses.)
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To: MisterRepublican

"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?

 

40 posted on 02/02/2005 3:14:48 PM PST by watchdog_writer
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