On April 4, 2003, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith made the ultimate sacrifice for over 100 of his fellow soldiers near Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad, Iraq. Two years later to the day, Smith was posthumously presented the Medal of Honor.
Smith enlisted in 1989. He served as a combat engineer and deployed to Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and finally to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
During his last deployment, Bravo Company, 11th Engineer Battalion of Task Force 2-7 was involved in a firefight with Iraqi forces while working to erect a prisoner of war holding area. During the engagement, Smith braved enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons. He eventually moved into enemy fire to man a 0.50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. Smith maintained this exposed position, killing as many as 50 enemy soldiers before he was mortally wounded.
Sgt. Smith's wife, Birgit, and his two children, David and Jessica, received the Medal of Honor from former President George W. Bush on April 4, 2005.
In a speech about her brother, Smith's sister described the last letter he sent to their parents — and how it showed his dedication to both his family and his troops.
"...Now that he was a father himself, he realized just how much they had sacrificed to make his life a good life and he thanked them for that special effort. He spoke of being prepared to give—as he said—‘all that I am, to ensure that all my boys make it home.’ In that same letter, he told our parents how proud he was of the ‘privilege to be given 25 of the finest Americans we call Soldiers to lead into war’ and he recognized their fears and his responsibilities for their welfare."
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