# Medal of Honor to be awarded to Paul R. Smith **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-to-be-awarded-to-paul-r-smith/288169 "2005-02-03T14:29:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-to-be-awarded-to-paul-r-smith/288169/21 "2005-02-10T05:14:40Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > Medals of Honor are not given for an action, however brave, that a soldier is ordered to perform. The act of bravery truly has to be above and beyond the call of duty, as it clearly was in this case. > > May Paul Smith rest in peace, and may his family find comfort that his loss saved many others. They’re given for actions above and beyond the call of duty. I’ve listened and read memoirs of MoH wearers. Seems like most of them were just doing what they thought they needed to do at the moment. No thoughts of heroism, or whatever. Ya get into a sticky place, and then think “well, _somebody’s_ gotta do _something_.” So we give the Medal as a way of saying “thanks.” Men and women _earn_ the medal for being truly human, for doing the right thing and not worrying about the circumstances. Courage is mostly doing the right thing. Dunno. Seems sad that Paul Smith had to lose his life for us to think of him as a hero. Plenty of others did great stuff and lived. I respect the men and women who are fighting. I hope we can bring them home soon. “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here. BUT, it can _never_ forget what _they did_ here.” – Abraham Lincoln [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-to-be-awarded-to-paul-r-smith/288169.md?page=1)