Posted on 06/24/2003 12:09:17 PM PDT by archy
Fallen hero's bike will help educate daughter
By:Patrick Donahue , Executive editor 06/09/2003
Paul Ray Smith's Harley-Davidson waits for a new owner.
He only got to ride it a few times, his sister Lisa DeVane said. Now, she's raffling it off to help pay for the college bills Smith's daughter Jessica will incur in a few years.
Smith, a sergeant first class in the 3rd Infantry Division's 11th Engineer Battalion, was killed in action at the Baghdad Airport on April 4.
"Paul only had the bike, not even a year," DeVane said. "Jessica is getting ready to go off to college in the next two years. A lot of her tuition is covered through the benefits of the military. But books and (other) fees are not covered."
Jessica, 16, is talking about going to Florida or Florida State. Smith's widow, Birgit, and their children have moved to Florida from Hinesville, closer to his parents. DeVane wants to take care of her sister-in-law's debts, who now faces a new life.
"She's been a housewife and a mother for the last 14 years," DeVane said.
Smith got his first motorcycle when he was still a teenager, DeVane said. His last one was a 1984 FXRT Harley.
"He always liked them. He just loved it. He loved it and worked on it constantly," she said.
But once he married Birgit, "that was the end of the toys," DeVane said.
She also noticed a difference in her brother when he returned from Operation Desert Storm. He had been stationed in Germany and fought in Iraq with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
"He left as this goofy kid," she said. "The next time I saw him, it was after the First Gulf War and he had changed dramatically. He was a very serious man. He lost some close friends in the war. He got back to being himself, but it changed him. He was really serious after that."
He had been equally intent on joining the Army in 1989, right out of Tampa Vo Tech. His decision to join wasn't a shock, but his timing caught his family off guard.
"As a young child, he was very patriotic," DeVane said. "He collected flags. We all kinda knew he was going to join the service.
"But we were kind of surprised when he joined right after graduation. He said, 'Mom, I've joined the Army and I'm leaving for boot camp the day after tomorrow.'"
The Smiths had been at Fort Stewart nearly five years before he left to Kuwait the last time. The Army had sent him to Kuwait before, and Kosovo and Bosnia.
When Birgit was told her husband died in combat, she called the DeVanes. They were at the Smiths' house in three hours from their home in Smyrna.
Being that close for years was a blessing, DeVane said. She and her husband were packing to go to Tampa for a Rally For America.
"We were getting all excited about leaving," she said.
Instead, they raced to Hinesville.
Smith and the rest of B Company were going to knock down the walls of a Republican Guard complex at the airport to build a prison for Iraqi POWs. After they knocked down the gate at the other end of the courtyard, Iraqi troops poured out and began firing.
Snipers fired from the guard tower and rocket-propelled grenades came flying at the fewer than two dozen engineers, medics and mortarmen. More than 100 Iraqis charged toward the Americans.
Smith tended to the wounded and ran back to his M113 armored personnel carrier. After telling the driver to get the APC in gear, Smith opened up with the .50-caliber machine gun mounted atop the vehicle. Smith continued firing, eventually using 400 rounds of ammunition.
If the Iraqis weren't stopped, the tactical operations center of Task Force 2/7, just a half-mile away, was in jeopardy of being overrun by Special Republican Guards forces.
By the time Smith stopped firing, the Iraqis were in retreat. But he had been mortally wounded by sniper, shot in the neck. Medics worked on Smith for 30 minutes before he died.
Smith has been recommended for the Medal of Honor. His family is awaiting word of the decision, which can take up to three years.
"It is still ongoing," DeVane said.
The raffle is still in its early stages. Tickets for those interested in a chance at the Harley are $25 and can be purchased at Earl Small's Harley-Davidson, 993 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. The drawing will be July 19 and tickets can be purchased until July 18. Those wishing to donate to the Paul Ray Smith Assistance Fund can do so by going to any Wachovia bank or reaching DeVane at 2528 Carolyn Drive, Smyrna, GA, 30080.
There is more information on the Paul Ray Smith Assistance Fund at the website sfcpaulsmith.com.
"We just wanted to do the website in memory of him and let people know who he was and what kind of guy he was," DeVane said. "We wanted people to know he died saving a lot of people's lives and that's the kind of guy Paul Ray was."
©Hinesville Coastal Courier 2003
But it sure would be nice if she got to keep her daddy's bike, too....
-archy-/-
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The Marines have a fund to ensure that children of Marines get a good shot at an education. They recently expanded the scope to the other services to ensure their kids have an opportunity as well.
Marines have long held an honoured tradition of taking care of their own. That they would extend that obligation of their Corps to those of their brother services only adds to the prestige and respect earned by Marines over their 225-year-plus tradition of doing things the Marine way.
If you and the other FReeper Marines would take it upon yourself to begin spreading the story of SFC Smith and his daughter among your fellow Marines and former Marines, you'd be a part of that effort, particularly if it gets directly or indirectly to the attention of those who care for and administer the fund you described. The Sergeant Major of the USMC would seem to be another likely starting place.
The Marine motto of Semper Fidelis was never better realized or put into practice.
I know better than to try to lead or direct Marines. You point them at an objective and give them the tools they need, and get out of their way.
Have at it, Marines.
-archy-/-
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