Breeze Perspectives: The real American hero
By Anthony Riedel, contributing writer
Posted on April 3, 2006

Two weeks ago was the third anniversary of the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The lead story on the Sunday papers and talk shows were about how Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction and Iraq being in civil war. Tomorrow is the third anniversary of what really should be on the front page of every paper in the nation. On April 4, 2003, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, 33, was killed in action while fighting in Iraq. Smith’s bravey was so extraordinary that it merited the very rare Congressional Medal of Honor.

Smith enlisted in the Army in 1989. Smith was known by his colleagues for being professional and “by the book.” However, as noted by USA Today, Smith cared about his “boys.” He once even drove 40 miles to deliver a teddy bear to the sick daugher of one of his men. USA Today noted that Smith once wrote a letter to his family saying he was prepared to do whatever it took to make sure “all my boys make it home.” He lived up to his promise on April 4, 2003.

While his 11th Engineer Battalion of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division was creating a holding area for a prison near a Baghdad airport, Smith and his platoon were attacked by as many as 100 enemy soldiers. Smith quickly organized a defense so his “boys” could get out of the situation safely. After throwing a grenade, Smith climbed atop an armored vehicle mounted with a .50-caliber machine gun. According to the Army, Smith then told an accompanying soldier, “feed me ammunition whenever you hear the gun get quiet.” Facing hostile enemy fire and lacking any personal regard for his own life, Smith fired more than 300 rounds and killed as many as 50 enemy soldiers before being fatally wounded. Smith’s valor saved at least 100 U.S. soldiers. He died that day, leaving his wife and two children. These soldiers (most of them about 10 years younger than Smith) had the chance to maybe one day come home to their wives and children.

Two years later, President George W. Bush honored Smith with the Congressional Medal of Honor. On April 4, 2005, President Bush presented the very rare Medal of Honor to Smith’s widow, Birgit. According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “the Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.” The next day, The New York Times posted this story on page A16 with a picture of the hero and a brief caption. In contrast, The New York Times printed the story of our president wiretapping terrorists trying to bomb the Brooklyn Bridge on the front page. The New York Times printed the NSA story knowing it would weaken the support behind the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, undermine the trials against confessed terrorists in America, and jeopardize our nation’s security by warning terrorists that we have been listening in on their phone calls.

The New York Times is not alone. A recent Media Research Center report documented that between January and September 2005, 848 (61 percent) of the 1,388 stories on Iraq broadcasted on ABC’s “World News Tonight,” the “CBS Evening News” and “NBC Nightly News” were focused on negative topics. Seventy-nine stories focused on allegations of mistakes or misconduct on the part of U.S. soldiers. In contrast, nine stories featured instances when soldiers reached out to help the Iraqi people. Only eight stories were devoted to recounting episodes of heroism by U.S. troops. No wonder Gallup found that 60 percent of Americans believe the Iraq war is going poorly, while only 38 percent said they believe the war is going well for the United States.

So while you read the newspaper headlines of wiretapping scandals, Islamophobia, how the economy sucks (since Clinton), how the War on Terror cannot be won and how illegal aliens deserve something for nothing, remember that not all hope is lost for this nation. We still have thousands of heroes all across the globe every day defending the precious freedoms we take for granted. Smith knowingly risked his life to save the lives of others. This is something that our troops do unappreciatively on a daily basis. They all deserve a thank you for their service. God bless these United States!

Anthony Riedel is a junior communications major.