Throughout his military career, Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith was known to be a stickler for the rules. That focus on preparation helped save the lives of more than 100 U.S. troops during the battle for Baghdad's airport in the early days of the Iraq War. Smith didn't survive the battle, but for his courageous actions, he received a posthumous Medal of Honor.
Smith was born Sept. 24, 1969, in El Paso, Texas. When he was 9, his mother moved him and his siblings, Lisa and Anthony, to Tampa, Florida.
He grew up playing sports and hanging with friends. During high school, he worked as a carpenter's assistant and became interested in old vehicles, restoring an old dune buggy with the help of a friend, according to his Army biography.
After graduating from high school in 1988, Smith worked as a carpenter for a time before enlisting in the Army in October 1989 — something his family said he had always wanted to do.
Upon graduating training, Smith was stationed in Germany, where he met Bridgit. The couple married in 1992 and raised two children.
During the 1990s, Smith was deployed to Kuwait during the Gulf War, as well as to Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1999, he was assigned to the 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. He was a combat engineer, which meant his unit would often move ahead of other troops to clear obstacles from roads, disable explosives and build infrastructure needed for the mission. The unit deployed to Kosovo in May 2001.
In early 2003, Smith, who had since been promoted to sergeant first class, began preparing with his company for another deployment to Kuwait as part of the division's buildup for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Smith was a platoon leader known for being strict about details and holding his troops to a high standard. That diligence paid off in the field, the soldiers under him recalled.
On March 19, 2003, the 3rd Infantry Division crossed the Kuwaiti border into Iraq. Smith's unit, Company B, was part of the lead in support of Task Force 2-7 Infantry.
Over the next two weeks, the division pushed further into Iraq. By April 4, they'd made it to the international airport in Baghdad. Smith was in charge of about three dozen soldiers tasked with building a temporary enemy holding area near the main entrance. Suddenly, the unit was attacked by about 100 insurgents, some of whom gained access to a nearby watch tower and were firing down on them.
Smith realized the onslaught put dozens of his soldiers at risk, so he quickly organized a defense using what was around him — two platoons, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. During the battle, Smith threw hand grenades and used anti-tank weapons against the insurgents. When a mortar round struck one of the armored personnel carriers, he organized the evacuation of three soldiers wounded in the blast.
To keep the enemy from overrunning their defenses, Smith then jumped onto the damaged carrier and got behind its mounted .50-caliber machine gun, the most powerful weapon available to him. Disregarding his own life, Smith remained exposed behind the gun to fire back at enemy forces, getting through three boxes of ammunition before he was fatally wounded.
According to a 2003 Orlando Sentinel newspaper article, Smith's fellow soldiers carried him to safety. Medics tried to revive him for about 30 minutes but to no avail. Smith died at age 33.
His heroics, however, saved the lives of at least 100 service members and led to the enemy's defeat. Reports showed his efforts behind the machine gun resulted in the elimination of at least 50 insurgents.
Five days later, Baghdad was liberated.
On April 4, 2005 — two years to the day after the battle that took his life — Smith's son, David, received the Medal of Honor on his behalf from President George W. Bush during a White House ceremony. It was the first Medal of Honor awarded for actions taken during the Global War on Terrorism.
Smith is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Smith continues to be remembered throughout his hometown and in the military community. In 2003, the Army Research Laboratory's simulation, training and technology center at the University of Central Florida was renamed in his honor, and in 2007, a new middle school in the Tampa area was named after him.
The Paul R. Smith Noncommissioned Officer Medal is awarded annually by the Society of American Military Engineers to service members for their outstanding leadership and contributions to military engineering.
This article is part of a weekly series called "Medal of Honor Monday," in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military's highest medal for valor. The new National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, opened its doors on National Medal of Honor Day in March 2025 to celebrate these recipients.