WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- The first Medal of Honor awarded in the Iraq War was presented in Washington Monday to the family of a U.S. Army sergeant killed in the battle for Baghdad.
Sgt. 1st Class Peter Smith, 33, saved the lives of 100 troops when he mounted a disabled armored vehicle and fired its machine gun at attacking forces near Baghdad International Airport.
The top half of his body was clearly exposed to heavy gunfire and rocket propelled grenades.
"We are here to pay tribute to a soldier whose service illustrates the highest ideals of leadership and love of our country," President Bush said in an East Room ceremony. "Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith of Florida, gave his life for these ideals in a deadly battle outside Baghdad. It is my great privilege to recognize his extraordinary sacrifice by awarding Sergeant Smith the Medal of Honor."
Accepting the award for Smith was his 11-year-old son, David.
Bush noted Smith thwarted the counter-attack, and in addition to saving the lives of his own men, also saved the lives of U.S. troops at a nearby medical aid station that would have been overrun.
