Asymmetric Military

Link: http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/paulrsmith.htm

One evening I was driving along the 10 freeway with my best friend Frank and our companions in his black 1993 BMW when we happened upon some kind of oil slick, spun out of control, and crashed. As it was dark and at the end of a turn, one and then two cars behind us collided with my friend's car. As we made it to the side of the road, another car stopped behind us and two men disembarked with shirts and immediately proceeded to wave off the still-approaching cars, certainly saving cars and perhaps saving lives. Frank and I helped, but although I don't recall their words exactly, I remember the two gentlemen not being too impressed. I look back at my performance that day (you did better, Frank) with a small sense of shame. "I wasn't hurt. Why didn't I think of that?" I thought.

I've trained for combat, but I've never participated in a firefight; my time in Iraq was relatively safe and despite my efforts to volunteer for convoys and other assignments outside the wire, I was always told it wasn't necessary. I remember that insurgent activity made inter-FOB travel via convoy rare and humanitarian missions virtually ceased as the schools benefiting from them were often threatened after we left-such is the nature of our enemy. I suppose I was still haunted by my failure to act that day on the freeway and needed to feel brave.

It's hard to say when I'm in my living room in Pico Rivera, but I think I'll do better during the next war than I did on the 10 freeway. In fact, the only apprehension I have about being placed in one of those situations isn't of being harmed, but messing up; I'm nervous that I'll endanger my soldiers with the wrong decision or that I won't know how to help a wounded friend, although I'll do everything I can to prepare myself.

Anyways, I only bring this up to honor Paul R. Smith, the only Medal of Honor winner in OIF. If my time comes, I hope to God to perform at his level. He, like the guys who helped us on the freeway is an inspiration to me. Isn't it odd that most Americans are familiar with Abu Ghraib than Paul Smith? It's a shame, but I'll cover why I think this is in another post. Meanwhile read about a brave man and be amazed. This article links to his MOA citation.