Army NCO to be awarded Medal of Honor
An Army sergeant first class who sacrificed his life to save his soldiers during fighting in Baghdad will be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bush, probably next month.

Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith fought attacking Iraqis with a heavy machine gun atop a disabled personnel carrier on April 4, 2003,

... going through several boxes of ammunition fed to him by 21-year-old Pvt. Michael Seaman. As the battle wound down, Smith was hit in the head. He died before he could be evacuated from the scene. He was 33.

A detailed account ofd the engagement is here. The MOH is the nation's highest award for valor. Sgt. 1st Class Smith was leading a detachment of 16 soldiers when they were attacked by at least 100 enenmy troops. His actions enabled his badly outnumbered soldiers to withdraw to safety and almost certainly saved a nearby medical detachment from attack as well.

by Donald Sensing, 2/2/2005 01:17:28 PM. Permalink |