Paul Ray Smith and the Warrior Ethos

Paul Ray Smith and the Warrior Ethos

Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith was a United States Army Soldier who served from October of 1989 to April 2003 and received the Medal of Honor posthumously on April 4th 2005. Sergeant First Class Smith served with the 11th infantry battalion, 3rd Division during the initial invasion of Iraq. He was also deployed in the Persian Gulf War, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo. His actions throughout his career, especially those during operation Iraq freedom, demonstrate a full understanding and practice of the warrior ethos.

Sergeant First Class Smith was born on September 24, 1969 in El Paso, Texas, and moved to Tampa Florida at the age of nine. He enjoyed a wide variety of sports including skateboarding and bicycling. He also played American football, likely a starting point for his value for being part of a team and his leadership abilities. He also developed an interest in Carpentry and dismantling cars. He graduated with from Tampa Bay Vocational Tech High School in 1989 before joining the United States Army later that year.

Sergeant First class Smith attended Basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, and was later sent to Germany for his first deployment with the 9th infantry battalion. He was also deployed with Bravo Company during the Persian Gulf War in 1996 and the 11th Engineer Battalion in Kosovo in 2001. He was promoted to Sergeant First Class in August 2002.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Sergeant First Class Smith led Bravo Company, 11th Engineer Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division, which was support was supporting 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment as it moved through hostile Baghdad. On April 4th, Sergeant Smith’s Company accompanied by the 1st Brigade combat team, attempted and succeeded in seizing Baghdad international airport. Afterwards, a task force was assigned to defend against a brigade-sized counterattack along the main 4 lane highway leading to the airport, Sergeant Smith and his platoon were assigned to establish a temporary prisoner of war holding area. Along the highway lied high stone walls with towers that were about 100 meters apart that formed a courtyard. After Sergeant Smith determined that the courtyard was the best place for the temporary prison, an M9 “Earthmover” punched a hole in the wall, inspection of the courtyard began. Afterwards, as a squad of engineers prepared the rest of the courtyard, several enemy combatants were spotted on the other side of a large gate, the first of a much larger, company sized force about to attack. Sergeant Smith quickly organized a defense of the two companies, one Bradley fighting vehicle, and three M113 Armored Carriers that had been called from nearby. Sergeant Smith had the three M113s unload their .50-caliber machine guns onto the enemy combatants. During the battle, one of the APC’s was stuck by a mortar which injured all three of its crewmen. At this point Sergeant Smith had the wounded evacuated to military aid station behind the courtyard. The APC’s were then instructed to move back into position. However, some Iraqi forces took up a position in one of the towers, putting the courtyard into a crossfire. Fearing that the aid station would be overrun, Sergeant Smith, depleted of ammunition, took position on one of the .50-calibre machine guns and ordered it to be moved were it could engage both the enemies trench line and