HOLIDAY, Fla. (Army News Service, Nov. 2, 2004) -- In life, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith wasn’t always popular with his Soldiers.

A disciplined and demanding leader, he sometimes worked his Soldiers into evening hours and on weekends to get the job done; to get it done right. His “boys,” as he referred to them, didn’t always understand or appreciate his ways.

Things became clear when the boys of Company B, 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division went to war in Iraq; particularly so when they arrived at Baghdad’s airport -- then known as Saddam International -- on April 4, 2003. Outnumbered, the combat engineers fought a fierce battle with Iraqi soldiers. Smith was shot after taking over a .50-caliber machine gun whose crew had been injured; the fire cover he provided allowed Soldiers to get close enough to the enemy to end the fight.

Nominated for the Medal of Honor, Smith is credited with saving not just the lives of the Soldiers engaged in the fight, but dozens more outside the courtyard where the battle played out. He was 33.

Doing the job right

In death, Smith has his Soldiers’ unflinching respect, admiration and gratitude. They traveled several hundred miles from Fort Stewart, Ga. – twice in one month – to Holiday, Fla., to witness a post office dedicated as the “Sgt. First Class Paul Ray Smith Post Office Building.” Hurricane Jeanne forced the original Sept. 26 ceremony to be rescheduled to Oct. 29. Smith’s family lives nearby.

One of his boys, Sgt. Matthew Keller, shared his thoughts and memories of Smith at the ceremony.

“He was difficult to work for at times,’’ Keller said, noting that he, like many others, did not like the extra hours Smith required to get the job done to his standards. “For him, it was all about doing it the right way and preparing for war. He was hard on us at times, but only because he wanted us to succeed on the battlefield.”

But Smith wasn’t always hard-boiled with his Soldiers. When a few decided to get baptized overseas, Keller included, Smith showed up to support them. He even took pictures. And he helped the guys save money on haircuts by performing the service for them, Keller said.

“Over there, a haircut was basically a shaved head,” he said, drawing laughs from the crowd -- including Smith’s wife, Birgit; children Jessica, 18, and David, 10; sister, Christina; and his mother and stepfather, Janice and Donald Pvirre. “He always complimented us on how we looked when he was done.”

Thoughts from the President

Jack Harris, a local media personality, read letters from President George W. Bush and his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Both commended Smith’s sacrifice and service, as well as the post office tribute.

“In naming this post office for Sergeant First Class Smith, you honor a proud patriot who answered the call to defend our nation,” President Bush wrote.

Congressman Mike Bilirakis, who sponsored the legislation to name the building in Smith’s memory, said he wished he and others gathered for the ceremony did not have to be there; that they could return to the days before terrorists attacked and the nation went to war.

But it’s a privilege to come together to honor a man like Smith, who gave “his last full measure of devotion to his country,” Bilirakis said. Smith was a husband and father who cherished his wife and children, and a leader who expected much of his Soldiers, but even more of himself.

Giving all for the ‘boys’

Bilirakis quoted from one of the last letters Smith wrote to his mother, in which he described his devotion to his Soldiers: “I’m prepared to give all to make sure my boys come home.”

“Sergeant First Class Smith wasn’t a hero because of the way he died,” Bilirakis said. “He’s a hero because of the way he lived.”

Command Sgt. Maj. William Grant, 3rd Infantry Division, described Smith as an icon for the Soldiers who will come behind him, who lived the Soldier’s Creed and who embodied the Army values. Soldiers continue to serve, despite knowing they may meet death, he said.

Grant quoted a Bible verse, John 15:13, in describing Smith’s actions on April 4, 2003:

“No greater love a man has, than he give his life for his friends,” Grant said. “For that, I’m forever grateful. Rock of the Marne.”

Renaming a first

The Suncoast District of the U.S. Postal System, which stretches along Florida’s west coast, includes roughly 200 post offices staffed by some 11,000 employees, said district manager Michael Jordan. The Holiday branch is the first to be named for an individual, he added.

A photo of a smiling Smith in combat gear and a plaque will be displayed inside, along with an enlarged storyboard of a five-part series about Smith, “The Last Full Measure of Devotion,” published by the St. Petersburg Times earlier this year. (www.sptimes.com/paulsmith)

“We want people coming to the post office to learn more than just the name of Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith,” Jordan said.

What Smith would think

A few of Smith’s boys speculated on how their leader would react to having a post office named for him.

“He’d be humbled by it,” said Sgt. Louis Berwald. “But he’d say he just did his job. He didn’t look for recognition.”

Staff Sgt. Kevin Hoover said Smith would probably be uncomfortable with all of the attention.

“He’s rather be out being a Soldier, training, than living in the past,” Hoover said. “But I do think it’s a fitting tribute for his family.”

It’s a tribute Birgit Smith appreciates.

“Words just can’t describe it,” she said after the ceremony. “It’s such a huge honor. It touches me deeply.”

Still, she agrees with the Soldiers about how her husband would respond.

“He would say this was way overdone,” she said, laughing. “He didn’t take any credit.”

Supporting her husband’s Soldiers

Her husband lived for the Army and his boys, Birgit Smith said. When told of the circumstances of his death, she wasn’t surprised.

“That was my husband,” she said. “I would expect no less.”

She remains in touch with his boys and is sad they’ll be returning to Iraq next year, but she pledges to be available to them for anything they need. They’ve played a big part in helping her and the children get through the past year and a half, she said.

“I want to be strong for the Soldiers, be there for them just like my husband was,” Birgit Smith said. “When they go, they’ll get plenty of mail and care packages. And I’ll be praying that they come back safe.”