White House announces Medal of Honor for soldier
[Phillip Carter,
Wednesday March 30, 2005 at 3:43am ]
Today, the New York Times follows up on a February report from the St. Petersburg Times informing us that the Medal of Honor will be awarded posthumously to Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, for actions in combat during the battle for Baghdad in April 2003. The award will be the first for the Medal since it was awarded to two Delta Force soldiers posthumously for their actions in the battle of Mogadishu in October 1993. According to the Times:
Update I: An astute reader wrote to remind me that, in fact, the Medal of Honor has been awarded more recently than to the Delta snipers from the Battle of Mogadishu. At various points over the past several years, presidents have bestowed the medal (usually posthumously) on recipients from past wars, whose actions were reevaluated and deemed worthy of this honor. Air Force Pararescue Jumper William H. Pitsenbarger was posthumously awarded the medal by the Secretary of the Air Force on Dec. 8, 2000, for actions in combat in Vietnam. And in 2002, President Bush awarded the medal posthumously to Army Captain Humbert "Rocky" Versace, for heroism above and beyond the call of duty while a POW in Vietnam.
Sergeant Smith led a defense of a compound next to the airport against a much larger force of Special Republican Guard troops, manning a heavy machine gun, repeatedly firing and reloading three times before he was mortally wounded. Fellow soldiers said his actions killed 20 to 50 Iraqis, allowed wounded American soldiers to be evacuated, and saved an aid station and perhaps 100 lives.You can read more about SFC Smith at the St. Petersburg Times' site. Official information, including the citation for SFC Smith, is available at the Army's MOH website.
Sergeant Smith's "extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor without regard to his own life in order to save others are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service," a draft of the medal citation says.
President Bush will present the award to Sergeant Smith's widow and children at a White House ceremony on Monday, the second anniversary of the airport battle and the soldier's death.
Update I: An astute reader wrote to remind me that, in fact, the Medal of Honor has been awarded more recently than to the Delta snipers from the Battle of Mogadishu. At various points over the past several years, presidents have bestowed the medal (usually posthumously) on recipients from past wars, whose actions were reevaluated and deemed worthy of this honor. Air Force Pararescue Jumper William H. Pitsenbarger was posthumously awarded the medal by the Secretary of the Air Force on Dec. 8, 2000, for actions in combat in Vietnam. And in 2002, President Bush awarded the medal posthumously to Army Captain Humbert "Rocky" Versace, for heroism above and beyond the call of duty while a POW in Vietnam.
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- White House announces Medal of Honor for soldier
- An American hero
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