I read this AM in the Stars and Stripes that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumusly to SFC Paul Ray Smith for actions during the Iraq War. This is only the third MOH awarded since the end of Viet Nam. The other two were to the 2 Delta Force guys who jumped out of the helicopter to protect the downed helicopter pilot in Sommalia (see the movie Black Hawk Down) Details were sparse but apparently he manned a heavy machine gun fending off an assault that saved a Hospital unit until he was killed in Action

I kind of beat you to it a couple of days ago. I am not bragging because no one responded, so I will add his story here. Also and to clarify (because everyone makes this mistake, including the below article), Shugart, Gordon, and now Smith are the most recent to be awarded the CMH (Congressional Medal of Honor) in a conflict after the Vietnam War. In 2000, Bush awarded numerous Medals of Honor to Nesei (Japanese-American) soldiers for their service in WWII.

Medal of Honor to be awarded

Anyway, I, to say nothing of the 100 men he saved, are grateful for his service and his life that he gave, cliche or not.

Jeff

You can read about the citation, ceremony and a profile on Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith here:

Medal of Honour awarded

There are also videos as to the presentation and more.

Truly a valiant act by a dedicated and courageous soldier!

SFC Smith's Medal of Honor is well-deserved. I remember seeing an interview with his men on television the day after the action and telling my wife -- that guy is going to get at least a Distinguished Service Cross. One of the Engineers wept as he recalled how SFC Smith made him leave the .50 cal in the M113, then Smith manned it himself.

BTW, I have met several Medal of Honor recipients and live in a town with two: retired COL Roger Donlon (ist MOH of the Vietnam War) and retired LTC Charles Hagemeister (another Vietnam MOH). To a man, they all hated the phrase "Medal of Honor winner" -- they received the medal; they did not "win" it. Retired MSG Donald Rudolph (6th Infantry Division, WWII on Luzon) told me, "It wasn't a contest. I wasn't trying to get a medal. I was just doing what I felt I had to do ..."