Paul Ray Smith

THE HIGH COST OF FREEDOM

Took out over 50 enemy single handedly

While defending the Bagram Air Base in 2003 from an attack of a superior number of enemy soldiers, Sergeant Paul Smith mounted an M113 Armored Personnel carrier and began shooting with the .50 cal attached to the top, covering the military aid station that had over 100 casualties. Going through three boxes of ammunition he held off the superior force taking multiple hits until he was killed. His sacrifice allowed many wounded servicemen to return to their families while he did not. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor with his eleven year old son receiving the award in his place.

Note: As the founder of Valor Gear I followed the Iraq War very closely and this was the first Medal of Honor recipient I had ever seen in my lifetime and his sacrifice had a huge impact on my reality of our veterans and current servicemen and what they give to us as Americans.

It takes Valor to give your life that others may live.