11.18.2006 - By George Hageman
There have only been two medal of honor winners in Operation Iraqi
Freedom thusfar (despite the Iraqi War having lasted just as long as US
involvement in WWII, when there were 464 medals awarded). They are the
3rd and 4th medals awarded since the Vietnam War.
Paul Ray Smith (posthumous): Single-handedly fought off 100 enemy
Iraqi Republican Guardsmen with an M2 Browning Machine Gun and
essentially saved the lives of his 16 men and the 100 wounded in the
nearby aid station near Saddam Hussein International Airport.Jason Dunham (posthumous): Saved the lives of his fireteam as he
smothered a grenade with his head, sacrificing his life in order to
stop the blast from reaching his companions. He is the first marine to
receive the medal since 1945.
For more information, read:
Paul Smith:
http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2005/Medal-of-Honor/
http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,SS_040505_Honor,00.html
http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110008153
http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/paulrsmith_cit.htm
Jason Dunham:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/10/medal.honor/index.html
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2087
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