Real American Hero: Paul Smith

The Congressional 'Medal of Honor' is our nation's highest military award. There have been over 3,400 recipients in our history, but just over 840 since requirements were tightened in World War II. In order to be eligible a person must be nominated by his or her commanders. The nominee then must have their story wind through a dozen levels of military and presidential reviews, during which various factors are taken into account to ensure that only the greatest among the many noble sacrifices are selected for the final honors. Some of it's recipients have gone on to fame, or earned it by their honored actions, including President Teddy Roosevelt, Audie Murphy in World War II, and even 'Buffalo Bill' Hickock. It's recipients have been called 'unsung soldiers who acted valiantly in a moment of extraordinary pressure'. Following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, over a million military men and women have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the first from this 'War on Islamofascist Terror' to be so honored was Sergeant Paul Smith. He grew up in Tampa, Florida, enlisted in the Army in 1989, and served in the first Gulf War in 1991. He didn't join up at first out of patriotism, that developed later. At first he wanted just a good-paying job right out of high school, and saw this as his best shot. A career soldier, Paul Smith was serving in Bosnia when the United States was attacked in 2001. In April of 2003 he had moved on to Iraq, and was serving there as a combat engineer as his unit moved from Kuwait towards Baghdad, seizing a part of the Baghdad Airport on April 3rd, 2003. The following morning, Paul was part of a team that was constructing a holding cell that would house prisoners of war, when the company came under attack by at least 100 Iraqi soldiers of Saddam Hussein's Special Republican Guard. Paul took charge of their defense and response, calling in for support and hurling a grenade at the Iraqi postions while coming under heavy enemy fire. Iraqi mortar hit an M-113 engineering vehicle, injuring all three occupants, and Paul rushed in to help them to the safety of a nearby medical unit, which was itself now becoming endangered by the growing Iraqi attacks. He could have retreated at that point, saving his life, but that would have meant the Iraqis advancing, and likely dozens of deaths on the American side. Instead, he grabbed control of the M-113's .50 caliber guns and fired back at the Iraqis, reloaded, and fired again, then reloaded and fired a third time. As he got off this round, pinning the Iraqis down, he was struck in the neck by their return fire and was killed. He had killed two to four dozen Iraqi troops, allowed wounded Americans to be evacuated, and saved the aid station and likely all those working, securing, and being treated there. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, with President Bush presenting to his widow, Brigit Smith, who later said: "I'm proud and honored that Paul would be recognized by his country in such a meaningful way. He loved his country; he loved the Army; and he loved his soldiers." That about sums up all you need to know about this Real American Hero, Army Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith, who is the first of many who will be highlighted here at my website as we move forward. Far above sporting and entertainment celebrities whom the media would have you believe are heroic and more worthy of your attention, these folks lay their lives, and the security of their families, on the line every day to ensure the security of the United States of America. (NOTE: you will be able to view all the Real American Hero stories by clicking into that below label)

A Better Country

In September of 2002, with the first anniversary remembrances of the 9/11 attacks taking place across the country, and with America obviously preparing to go to war to thwart another such attack, Arthur Borden began to notice some disturbing reactions coming from his Democratic Party, even among his own friends and colleagues. These reactions and the totality of the circumstances involving 9/11 and it's various related issues led Borden to study the issues more closely and led him to realize that he was now living "..in an America which is not the country where I went to college, served in a good war, and enrolled in law school.." The result of his studies is the book "A Better Country: Why America Was Right to Confront Iraq" released this year as a soft cover by Hamilton Books. In it's short number of pages (67 plus a handful of indices), Borden makes a compelling argument that not only was President George W. Bush right in going into Iraq and deposing it's despotic leader Saddam Hussein, but that this move was vital. He also makes the case for remaining in the country, and possibly for the need to extend the conflict into Iran in the near future. From the free flow of the oil that is vital to our national and the world economy, to a geo-political presence vital to securing peace and democracy, Borden moves through the many varied and important issues over the last few decades that led to the Iraqi campaign and the larger War on Islamofascism. Borden presents that both of the Bush administrations and the Clinton administration recognized the threat of the Hussein regime. These administrations recognized that it was reasonable to confront the Iraqi regime based on the longstanding and widely-supported 'Carter Doctrine' which recognized the vital interest regarding the free flow of oil from the Middle East. He goes on to present that a combination of intentionally biased liberal media attention, a near traitorous attitude by many Democratic Party politicians, and even the faux pas committed by the current 'W' administration led eventually to the public turning on this necessary war effort. His chapters on "The Missing WMD" and the Joe Wilson-Scooter Libby issue of the "Aluminum Tubes and Yellow Cake" are particularly insightful, revealing, and well researched. What Arthur Borden does with "A Better Country" is present a better narrative for this necessary effort in Iraq. The book is a short and easy read, but also a detailed and educational must-read for anyone interested in exploring the issues behind the necessary sacrifices being made by America's troops in Iraq over these last few years. As always, the title of this posting is a link, this time to the 'Amazon' listing where you can purchase the book.