Birgit Smith, widow of Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, and her son David pose just moments after the 377-foot, 40-knot, Navy ship “Freedom” was launched Sept. 24. Smith is the sponsor of the littoral combat ship. Photo by Lt. Col. Leela Dawson

Army News Service

The Navy christened and launched the nation’s first Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom (LCS-1), at the Marinette Marine shipyard Sept. 23.

Birgit Smith is the ship’s sponsor. She is the widow of Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery and gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Birgit broke a champagne bottle across the ship’s bow to formally christen the ship, which then made a dramatic side-launch into the Menominee River.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chief of Naval Operations, put Birgit’s selection as sponsor into perspective for the assembled crowd by referring to a letter her husband wrote home from Iraq.

“When I think of his words ‘I am prepared to give all that I am’ and the way he did exactly that, it reminds me of the true high cost of living in America, the price of freedom,” he said. “Paul paid that debt for us. His valor reminds us that we must be ready to defend freedom whenever and wherever it is challenged.”

Col. Thomas P. Smith (no relation) commanded Smith’s unit – the 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division – and nominated Smith for the MOH.

“As I learned how special the “sponsor” of a ship is to the Navy and the ongoing relationship Birgit will have with the ship and her crew, I was truly humbled,” he said. “As the Navy leaders and crew got to know Birgit, I think they realized how special she is and how fitting their choice was for this honor.”

Mullen noted that ships “really do take on the spirit of their sponsor. And I for one will take great comfort that when Freedom’s crews sail into harm’s way, your quiet strength will go with them,” Mullen said to Birgit.

The 377-foot Freedom is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and can operate in water less than 20 feet deep. The ship will act as a platform for launch and recovery of manned and unmanned vehicles. Its modular design will support interchangeable mission packages, allowing the ship to be reconfigured for antisubmarine warfare, mine warfare or surface warfare missions on an as-needed basis.

“Just a little more than three years ago she was just an idea, now Freedom stands before us. And on this morning, we christen her, send her down the ways and get her ready to join the fleet next year,” said Mullen. “It comes none too soon, because there are tough challenges out there that only she can handle.”

Freedom acknowledges the enduring foundation of the nation and honors American communities which bear the name Freedom. States having towns named Freedom include California, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

But, as Mullen made clear, Freedom also acknowledges new challenges faced by the Navy in the war on terror, and will complement the vision of a global “1,000-ship navy” built upon ad hoc maritime partnerships.

“Freedom will know how to fight, but she can also be a friend,” said Mullen. “I am convinced that if we pool resources together, as partners and friends, we can best tackle many of the tough maritime problems we face. The Freedom class will fit perfectly into such partnerships. Her shallow draft and agility will allow her to go, when asked – deep into green and brown water – where we, our allies, and emerging partners face some of the most difficult challenges.”

Freedom will be manned by one of two rotational crews, blue and gold, similar to the rotational crews assigned to Trident submarines.

Freedom will continue to undergo outfitting and testing at Marinette Marine until it is commissioned in 2007 and eventually homeported in San Diego, Ca.

I’ve done some rearranging of categories to put all the posts directly related to the three Medal of Honor winners in the War on Terror into one category. WOT-Medal of Honor

Citations:

*DUNHAM, JASON L.

Rank and Organization: Corporal, United States Marine Corps
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Rifle Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Combat Team 7, First Marine Division (Reinforced), on 14 April 2004. Corporal Dunham’s squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in the town of Karabilah, Iraq, when they heard rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire erupt approximately two kilometers to the west. Corporal Dunham led his Combined Anti-Armor Team towards the engagement to provide fire support to their Battalion Commander’s convoy, which had been ambushed as it was traveling to Camp Husaybah. As Corporal Dunham and his Marines advanced, they quickly began to receive enemy fire. Corporal Dunham ordered his squad to dismount their vehicles and led one of his fire teams on foot several blocks south of the ambushed convoy. Discovering seven Iraqi vehicles in a column attempting to depart, Corporal Dunham and his team stopped the vehicles to search them for weapons. As they approached the vehicles, an insurgent leaped out and attacked Corporal Dunham. Corporal Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground and in the ensuing struggle saw the insurgent release a grenade. Corporal Dunham immediately alerted his fellow Marines to the threat. Aware of the imminent danger and without hesitation, Corporal Dunham covered the grenade with his helmet and body, bearing the brunt of the explosion and shielding his Marines from the blast. In an ultimate and selfless act of bravery in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of at least two fellow Marines. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty, Corporal Dunham gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

*SMITH, PAUL R.

Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class, United States Army
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq on 4 April 2003. On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith’s extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division “Rock of the Marne,” and the United States Army.

There are more coming, and more deserved. It’s probably a safe assumption that they will come from the ranks of those awarded Silver Stars.

Sgt. 1st Class Craig Zentkovich, Multi-National Division – Center

Everybody has one.

It may be a family member, a teacher, or a coach – an extraordinary person who makes such an impact that one’s life is forever changed.

For Staff Sgt. Steven A. Holloway that one person was a friend, mentor and leader.

The story of Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith is known to the nation. His actions in combat on April 4, 2003, above and beyond the call of duty, led to him being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

On Aug. 10, Holloway, on his third combat tour to Iraq, raised his right hand to indefinitely reaffirm his commitment to the Army in the exact location where Smith gave his life to preserve those of his Soldiers.

Holloway, a 12-year Army veteran, was in the fight on in 2003 with Company B, 11th Engineer Battalion, securing a breach in a wall 100 meters from Smith when Smith was killed. Smith was his platoon sergeant for 10 months, his friend for three years.

“It’s still kind of hard to go back there,” said Holloway, whose only other time back there was on April 4, 2005, when Smith’s son, David, was presented his father’s Medal of Honor in Washington. “I lost a friend that day … and a mentor who taught me what it means to take care of Soldiers.”

Now serving as the Task Force Marne Engineer Operations noncommissioned officer, Holloway said junior Soldiers are the primary reason he made the choice to re-enlist.

“When Smitty was my platoon sergeant, we trained a lot – he was big on training young Soldiers,” he said. “He was hard to work for; a perfectionist. But his Soldiers were always the best at what they did, and they knew it.”

“That’s how I am. I love to train Soldiers. That’s what I want to do,” he said, adding that there are still hundreds of future combat engineers who will need a competent leader capable of mentoring, training and teaching them. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do (in the Army), and I’ve got enough experience to provide that leadership.”

Holloway, who has been a 3rd Infantry Division Soldier for nine years, told his Soldiers after the ceremony that he re-enlisted for them and others like them. He said he hopes the lessons he’s learned in Soldiering and leading while serving as a sapper in the Marne Division will be passed on to young Soldiers for years to come – a lesson taught to him on that fateful day in 2003.

“That’s why I re-enlisted,” he said. “So the young Soldiers can carry on not only what I teach them, but what Smitty taught me.”

Why isn’t Sgt. Paul Smith a household name? Mark at Liberty Just in Case asks that very same question.

One Man Makes a Difference

The Last Full Measure of Devotion

Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith

Sgt. Smith was featured on this blog on April 22, 2003. He is one of the American Heroes whose stories I have collected.

His family has been notified that President George Bush will award him, posthumously, the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery, truly above and beyond the call of duty.

The story of Paul Smith should send chills down your spine. In the face of overwhelming odds, at the cost of his own life, he made a stand that saved his outgunned and outnumbered unit from certain annihilation. In a battle that should be recounted in every Basic Training class from now until the sun dies of old age, Sgt. Smith fought the enemy, exposed to their fire, and killed dozens. Surprised by an attack in an area thought to be clear, he took charge, reacted, and held the line. His stand was effective. The remaining enemy, their numbers cut nearly in half, fled the battle. Sgt. Smith was found, mortally wounded, with the enemy dead piled in front of him.

Birgit Smith, his wife: