Paul Ray Smith
He made the ultimate sacrifice at the Battle of Baghdad Airport, holding a defensive line to save over 100 fellow soldiers.
1969–2003 (age 34)·United States Army Medal of Honor recipient·Birthday: September 24·Generation X
Biography
Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith was a career soldier who embodied the engineer's motto, 'Essayons'—Let Us Try. His path was one of steady, dedicated service, leading up to deployment with the 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On April 4, near Baghdad International Airport, his unit was tasked with building a holding area for enemy prisoners of war when they were ambushed by a determined Iraqi force. With his men exposed and a medical aid station under direct threat, Smith took decisive, valorous action. He organized a hasty defense, personally manning a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored vehicle to engage the advancing enemy. In a fierce exchange of fire, he created a lethal bottleneck, allowing wounded soldiers to be evacuated and his unit to regroup. He was fatally wounded at that gun, but his stand saved an estimated 100 American lives. Two years later, his young son accepted the Medal of Honor from President George W. Bush.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Paul was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2003Died at 34
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions on April 4, 2003, during the Iraq War.
- His leadership under fire enabled the successful evacuation of numerous wounded soldiers from a kill zone.
- He was the first Medal of Honor recipient of the Iraq War and the first since the Vietnam War to receive it for ground combat.
Did You Know?
The Medal of Honor flag, now presented to all recipients, was first presented to his family at his ceremony.
A U.S. Army vessel, the USAV SFC Paul R. Smith, is named in his honor.
He initially joined the Army as a combat engineer in 1989.
“I will hold this position until I am relieved.”
