Paul Ray Smith

Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith

Paul Ray Smith (born September 24, 1969 in El Paso , Texas , † April 4, 2003 in Baghdad , Iraq ) was a first class sergeant and pioneer in the US Army . He was fatally wounded in the first days of the Iraq War and was posthumously honored with the Medal of Honor , the highest honorary award of the US Congress .

Life

Youth, training, military career

Smith was born on September 24, 1969 in El Paso, Texas. When he was nine years old, he and his family moved to South Tampa, Florida . There he was enthusiastic about various sports, especially football . In high school he worked temporarily as a carpenter. His goal was to become a soldier .

After graduating from Tampa Bay Vocational Technical High School in 1988, he joined the US Army and completed his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri . During his stationing in Germany he met his future wife Birgit, with whom he had two children, Jessica and David.

In his work as a pioneer, his assignments a. a. to Kuwait , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Kosovo and Iraq . In 1999 Smith was transferred to the 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division , and served in Bravo Company . In the spring of 2002 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class .

Use in the Iraq war

From March 19, 2003, Smith's unit took part in the invasion of Iraq as a supply force of Task Force 2-7 (2nd Battalion, 7th US Infantry Regiment). In the first 48 hours she covered more than 300 kilometers to the capital Baghdad . The advance was quickly stalled by massive resistance from Iraqi troops and violent sandstorms, so that the city was only reached on April 3. In the morning hours of April 4, around 6 a.m. local time, the squad approached the city's airport from the east. Its task was to set up a blockade on the road that led from the airport to the city.

The troop leader instructed the unit to set up a collection point for prisoners of war . Since he had to leave the scene for a short time, he gave Smith the command. He decided on a walled inner courtyard north of the street and gave the order to have the northern wall torn down by an M9 Armored Combat Earthmover (a kind of armored bulldozer ) in order to gain access to the courtyard. He then had two soldiers guard the entrance.

While the assembly point continued to be established, the North Gate Guards noticed 25 to 50 approaching, heavily armed Iraqi soldiers. Smith called for armored support and instructed his troops to prepare for battle. An M2 Bradley stood in the way of the enemy advancing from the north. As the situation worsened, Smith called in an M113 armored personnel carrier. However, this one was badly hit. With all of the transporters stationed in the north unoccupied by the fire, Smith manned a still intact 50- caliber machine gun and tried to keep the attackers at bay until they finally killed him himself.

Awards

For his services in the battle, Smith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by the US President on April 4, 2005 , the highest award of the US Congress, for “outstanding bravery and fearlessness at the commitment of his life far above normal Duty performance out "awarded.

Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of Military Awards :

He also received the gold rifle cord of the German Armed Forces and the French command badge.

Commemoration

The US Post Office in Holiday, Florida and the former US Army's Simulation & Training Technology Center in Orlando are named in his honor.

In memory of his actions, a new middle school in Holiday, Florida was honored with his name on August 25, 2006.

The Tampa Bay Technical High School Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps laid out a garden in his memory and named the Reserve Officer Training Corps hall after him. In the middle of the garden there is a tombstone that tells the story of his battle.

His widow, Birgit Smith, was chosen to christen the United States Navy's first littoral combat ship , the USS Freedom (LCS-1) .

The America's Army computer game provides information about Smith and the battle in which he died.

A fitness center in Fort Benning, Georgia bears his name.

Web links

Commons : Paul Ray Smith - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Smith, Paul R. on the Congressional Medal of Honor Society homepage

Detailed descriptions of Paul R. Smith and the events of April 4th

Some pictures of Paul R. Smith and the award of the decorations

personal data
SURNAME	Smith, Paul Ray
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American Sergeant First Class
DATE OF BIRTH	September 24, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH	El Paso
DATE OF DEATH	April 4, 2003
Place of death	Baghdad