The Last Full Measure of Devotion.

Sgt. 1^st Class Paul Smith was awarded, posthumously, the Medal of Honor yesterday. It was the first such given since Sgt. 1^st Class Randall Shugart and Master Sgt. Gary Gordon were given the award for their actions in Somalia in 1993. The award was announced on Feb. 2, but not actually bestowed upon him until yesterday. Via Jackalope Pursuivant, I found a very detailed series of pieces from the St. Petersburg Times about Sgt. Smith and his actions leading to this award. Sgt. Smith was from the Tampa Bay area. If you'd like to spend some time reading about the life and death of this man, let me suggest the following link:

The Last Full Measure of Devotion

Take your time. It's worth it to read the whole thing.

I'll be back on Friday.