Bravery in Combat
A young sergeant bravely defends his platoon during the battle of Baghdad Airport, but loses his own life. He earns the Medal of Honor — the first awarded in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Ahero has been recognized for his bravery in combat. The Medal of Honor has been given posthumously to Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith on the second anniversary of his courageous actions at the battle of Baghdad Airport during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Smith was serving as a platoon sergeant in Bravo Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, Task Force 2-7, 3rd Infantry Division. On April 4, 2003, his battalion was tasked with creating a holding area for POWs. Smith’s men were building a cell within a courtyard when as many as 100 Iraqi soldiers advanced and attacked. Smith quickly organized a defense; he himself threw grenades and fired rocket launchers at the enemy. The lead armored personnel carrier (APC) in the area was hit by a mortar, wounding its three occupants. After the wounded were evacuated, Smith climbed atop the APC and sprayed the attacking troops with a .50-caliber machine gun.

According to the Army, he told a soldier who accompanied him to “feed me ammunition whenever you hear the gun get quiet.” He aimed more than 300 rounds at the Iraqis before he was killed by enemy fire. Smith was the only member of his platoon lost that day. “Smith’s actions saved the lives of at least 100 soldiers ... and resulted in an estimated 20–50 enemy soldiers killed,” the citation reads.

Smith joined the Army in October 1989 and served in several hot spots. He left behind a wife and two children in Tampa, Fla. President George W. Bush presented the military’s highest award to Smith’s family at a White House ceremony April 4. This is the first conflict since Somalia for which a Medal of Honor has been awarded. To learn more about Smith, visit www.army.mil/medalofhonor.

Manhattan Project Reunion

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, the community of Oak Ridge, Tenn., is inviting veterans and their families to participate in the Manhattan Project Family Reunion during the Secret City Festival, June 16-19. Veterans from the major Manhattan Project sites — Oak Ridge; Los Alamos, N.M.; and Hanford, Wash. — as well as all World War II veterans are invited to attend. Activities will include performances by Jan and Dean and Bill Haley’s Comets and a World War II reenactment. Visit www.manhattanprojectfamilyreunion.com.