Some have asked why hakes a hero and why does the US Military only award a Soldier the Medal of Honor after he or she has made the greatest sacrifice. Sergeant first class Smith knowingly put himself into danger to save his Soldiers. A good leader like him would not tell his Soldier to do anything he would not do himself. As a leader in the U.S. Army, leaders should always put your Soldiers well-being before your own. Many of Sergeant First Class Smith’s actions would make others say he was a hero, and not because he had earned the highest medal for valor, the U.S. Military has. He was a good man. Sergeant first class would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. According to Vic Krepacki “SFC Paul Ray Smith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor April 4, 2003. Smith was killed while saving numerous American Soldiers ' lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom. RDECOM commemorated Smith 's honor and valor by naming the STTC facility after him.” The reason Sergeant First Class Smith is a hero because; whether he is in Iraq or back in the U.S.A. he puts his Soldiers before himself.
He was a Combat Engineer and a Sapper. Sappers are some of the most elite of combat engineers. They go through an additional four weeks of intensive training to earn the right to be called Sappers. Some of the training they have to go through to earn the name sapper is; extensive small group leaders training, advanced demolitions training and much more. Many Soldiers are proud to have known him and worked for him to include myself. He was a great example of what a US Army leader should be. My research uncovered an article written by an anonymous author this is one quote from the article “Three military personnel who are recipients of the Medal of Honor due to their courage to defend freedom, and which consequently sacrificed their lives in selfless acts of heroism, are profiled. They are SFC Paul R. Smith, MSgt