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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A soldier credited with saving dozens of lives by beating back an Iraqi attack before he was killed will receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith of the Tampa Bay area was killed in action when his outnumbered unit was attacked by Iraqi forces at the Baghdad airport in April 2003.
Smith, with an engineer battalion from Ft. Stewart, Ga. -- climbed aboard an armored personnel carrier and manned its .50-caliber machine gun to cover for fellow troops.
Smith fired more than 300 rounds and the ceramic breast plate in his flak jacket was shattered as he took return fire from automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.
He was the only American who died in the attack.
The Medal of Honor was last given to two U.S. soldiers killed in fighting in Somalia.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A soldier credited with saving dozens of lives by beating back an Iraqi attack before he was killed will receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith of the Tampa Bay area was killed in action when his outnumbered unit was attacked by Iraqi forces at the Baghdad airport in April 2003.
Smith, with an engineer battalion from Ft. Stewart, Ga. -- climbed aboard an armored personnel carrier and manned its .50-caliber machine gun to cover for fellow troops.
Smith fired more than 300 rounds and the ceramic breast plate in his flak jacket was shattered as he took return fire from automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.
He was the only American who died in the attack.
The Medal of Honor was last given to two U.S. soldiers killed in fighting in Somalia.