[Sgt. Paine]

[img]http://photojournalismstock.com/iraq%202003/image/feat10.jpg[/img]
Photograph by William E. Thompson
Soldiers from Bravo Company of the 11th Engineer Battalion, attached to the 2-7 Infantry, Third Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, honor Sgt. First Class Paul R. Smith. Smith, an engineer, was nominated for a Medal of Honor, the highest honor bestowed upon a military serviceperson, for his heroic actions during the battle for Saddam International Airport. Smith is credited with single-handedly fending off more than 100 Iraqi Special Republican Guard soldiers who were attempting to overrun the 2-7 IN Tactical Operations Center.