Paul Wesley Smith
| Born | 18 SEP 1931 |
| Died | 5 MAY 1968, KIA |
| Service Branch | Army |
| Rank | Chief Warrant Officer |
| Rating or Job | |
| Unit | |
| Campaign | Viet Nam |
| Military Citations | Purple Heart, Silver Star |
| Honors | |
| Family | |
| Notes | Oroville Union High School, Class of 1949
Serial Number W2213979 KIA in Gia Dinh Province Ground casualty Gun, small arms fire National Archives
CWO Paul Wesley Smith Sept.18, 1931 - May 5, 1968 Oroville Paul Smith, born and raised in Oroville, made the Army his career. During his youth the Thermalito man attained the rank of Eagle Scout before graduating from Oroville High School in 1949. where he was class president in his senior year. After high school he briefly attended San Jose State College before enlisting in the Army in December 1950 In the 16½ years of his Army career, Smith served in Germany, Italy and England. At the time of his death, he had logged in over four years in Southeast Asia. The highly decorated officer’s last medal was the Silver Star. On May 5, 1968, CWO Smith, a member of the 525th Military Intelligence Group, led a reconnaissance platoon from Chau Doc to Chau Giang. The platoon came under constant sniper, automatic weapons and rocket barrages throughout the day. Smith stayed with the forward squad, encouraging it to maintain pressure on the enemy. At one point during the day. the outnumbered GIs were pinned down behind a rock wall. Smith jumped out and braved a deadly hail of bullets while firing his submachine gun. According to the Army, Smith’s outnumbered platoon inspired by his courage — routed the enemy during an hour-long battle during which Smith was mortally wounded. He was 36 years old Chico News & Review, May 26, 1988
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| Sources |
National Archives Chico News & Review |
| Mementos |