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Thousands Pay Respects to Pope; American Catholics Welcome Change in Practices; Soldier Who Gave Life to Save Others Awarded Medal of Honor

Aired April 04, 2005 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: The famous bronze doors of St. Peter's Basilica are open to the general public at last. Thousands had anxiously awaited a chance to pay their respects to Pope John Paul II. The pope's body will lie in state at St. Peter's Square until Friday's funeral.
At the White House, a different kind of memorial this hour as President Bush presents the Medal of Honor to the family of Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith. Two years ago today, Smith gave his own life to protect scores of soldiers during a battle near the Baghdad airport. Smith's 11-year-old son, David, will accept the medal on his late father's behalf. We will go live to the ceremony just ahead.

Also want to tell about flooding from weekend rain. That is now forcing thousands to evacuate parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. New Jersey's acting governor, Richard Cody, has declared a state of emergency and barred nonessential state workers from Trenton today.

Governor Ed Rendell has also declared a state of emergency in parts of Pennsylvania. Many northern rivers are expected to crest at least two feet above flood levels.

And finally, showdown in St. Louis. Tonight brings the NCAA men's basketball finals to an exciting finish, with Illinois meeting with those UNC Tarheels. It is the first time since 1975 that the March Madness finale features teams ranked first and second on the AP press poll.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: He was called the pope of the people. And it's the people who now fill St. Peter's Square, many of them coming for a last look at the only pope they've ever known.

The doors to St. Peter's Basilica opened a little more than an hour ago for public viewing of Pope John Paul's body. He will lie in state until his funeral on Friday. Two million people are expected to have visited the site to pay their respects by then.

CNN's Aaron Brown joins us now live with more -- Aaron.

AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Good afternoon.

It's -- we were just standing up on this where we are rooftop with binoculars in hand, looking down on that sea of people who mostly are waiting. It's just after 9 p.m. in the evening here in Rome. It's chilly again. They're waiting; they've been standing for a long time. And then they move into a long line, as I suspect you can see now. And their moment inside, their moment to say their good-byes, is very brief, and then they come out again.

We talk, we have talked many times in life about grief has some formal stages, and part of the reason we have funerals and part of the reason that we do these things in life is so that we can come to acceptance of what has happened. And we suspect that one of the things that, as people pass by, they come to accept, that John Paul, who meant so much to the world's billion plus Catholics and to -- I dare say, many non-Catholics, as well, that he has, in fact passed away.

It's that sort of moment. And it will go on, as you said, until Friday, the mass at 10 in the morning here in Rome. That's 4 in the morning, early Friday morning back home on the East Coast of the United States. And then the process will move forward to the selection of a new pope after -- after a period of waiting for that.

PHILLIPS: Our Aaron Brown there with our continuing coverage.

As hundreds of thousands of people continue to go through St. Peter's Basilica and pay their respects to Pope John Paul II, many of them Americans, as Aaron Brown mentioned. A sea of people.

American Catholics, too, with a lot of issues on their mind as they think about the next pope. John Allen covers the Vatican for us and has also been following our continuing coverage.

And John, there was a number of polls that were done, Catholics only, talking -- CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll talking about what American Catholics are thinking about now when looking to the future and looking at a new pope. Specifically, what the next pope should do: issues of birth control, priests to marry, allowing women priests.

And this poll saying that 78 percent of Catholics say the next pope should allow birth control.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Yes, you know, there's a paradox there that American Catholics, as we know from similar polls, had overwhelmingly favorable reactions to John Paul II the person. Didn't always agree, necessarily, with some of his policies.

In fact, there was -- there's an Italian cardinal by the name of Tucci, Roberto Tucci, who is over 80 and won't participate in this conclave. But in an earlier stage in his career, he was the pope's chief trip planner. And during one of his trips to America, someone asked Tucci what he thought about the relationship American Catholics had with the pope. And his answer was, "I have the impression that they like the singer but not the song."

PHILLIPS: And 63 percent saying the next pope should allow priests to marry.

ALLEN: Yes, and that, of course, actually ironically enough, is an issue that perhaps would be a bit simpler for a future pope to resolve in the sense that it's not a theological question. There is no theological reason that a priest can't be married. As a matter of fact, in the first 10 centuries of church history, for the most part, priests were married. Even St. Peter himself had a wife.

And in the Catholic Church today there are a number of eastern rite churches that are in union with the Roman Catholic Church that have a married clergy.

And there also some 400 or 500 priests in the United States alone that have converted either from the Episcopalian Church or one of the other Anglican churches or from Lutheranism, who were married when they were in those churches and who were allowed to remain married even after being ordained as Catholic priests.

So there are precedents, and this is a disciplinary rather than doctrinal problem. So this is the kind of thing you might see some movement on in a future pontificate.

PHILLIPS: What about movement with regard to allowing women priests? Fifty=five of Catholics saying the next pope should allow women priests.

ALLEN: Yes, that unfortunately is -- is a bit of a more difficult question, because that is a theological question. Both Paul VI and John Paul I in their documents on these questions have made the argument the church simply does not have the authority to ordain women as priests, because Christ did not call women as apostles.

Moreover, John Paul II attempted to make the argument that men and women are different from one another. They have complementary but equally important roles. And so while men are called to the priesthood, woman are called to other, equally important but distinct roles.

That's an argument that, as those poll numbers indicate, hasn't persuaded everyone.

PHILLIPS: Vatican analyst John Allen will continue our rolling coverage there from St. Peter's Basilica. We're going to move to another story happening at this moment.

NGUYEN: We want to take you live now to the White House, where President Bush is presenting the first Medal of Honor for the Iraq war.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith of Florida gave his life for these ideals in a deadly battle outside Baghdad. It is my great privilege to recognize his extraordinary sacrifice by awarding Sergeant Smith the Medal of Honor.

I appreciate Secretary Don Rumsfeld joining us today, Secretary Jim Nicholson of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Senator Carl Levin, Senator Bill Nelson, Senator Mel Martinez, Senator Johnny Isaacson and Congressman Ike Skelton. Thank you all for joining us. I appreciate Secretary Francis Harvey, secretary of the Army; General Dick Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff; General Pete Pace, vice chairman; General Pete Schumacher, chief of the Army.

I want to thank the Medal of Honor -- Medal of Honor recipients who joined us today: John Baker, Barney Barnum, Bernie Fisher, Al Roscon and Brian Thacker. Honored you all are here.

I appreciate the family members who joined us all today. Thank you all for coming. Birgit Smith, his wife; Jessica Smith, David Smith, Janice Pvirre, the mom; Donald Pvirre, the stepfather and all the other family members who have joined us. Welcome.

I appreciate Chaplain David Hicks for his invocation. I want to thank lieutenant colonels Tom Smith for joining us, who is Paul Smith's commanders. Particularly want to welcome soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division, Paul's unit in Iraq.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for bravery a president can bestow. It is given for gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in the face of enemy attack. Since World War II more than a half of those have been awarded this medal gave their lives in the action that earned it. Sergeant Paul Smith belongs to this select group.

The story of Paul Smith is a story of a boy transformed into a man and a leader. His friends and family will tell you that he joined the Army in 1989 after finishing high school. When he joined the Army, he was a typical young American. He liked sports. He liked fast cars. And he liked to stay out late with his friends, pursuits that occasionally earned him what the Army calls extra duty, scrubbing floors.

Two things would change Paul's life and lead him to the selfless heroism we honor today. The first would come when he was stationed in Germany and fell for a woman named Birgit Bacha (ph). Turns out that Paul had a romantic streak in him. On the first night he met her, Paul appeared outside Birgit's window singing, "You've Lost that Loving Feeling."

In 1992, the two married, and soon a young soldier became a devoted family man who played t-ball with his son and taught his daughter how to change the oil in his Jeep Cherokee.

Second great change in Paul's life would come when he was shipped to Saudi Arabia to fight in the first Gulf War. There, the young combat engineer learned that his training had a purpose and could save lives on the battlefield. Paul returned from that war determined that other soldiers would benefit from the lessons he had learned. Paul earned his sergeant stripes and became known as a stickler for detail.

Sergeant Smith's seriousness wasn't always appreciated by the greener troops under his direction. Those greener troops oftentimes found themselves to do the tasks over and over again until they got it right.

Specialist Michael Seaman, who is with us today, says, "He was hard in training, because he knew we had to be hard in battle." Specialist Seaman will also tell you that he and others are alive today because of Sergeant Smith's discipline. That discipline would be put to the task in a small courtyard less than one mile from the Baghdad Airport.

Sergeant Smith was leading about three dozen men, who were using a courtyard next to a watch tower to build a temporary jail for captured enemy prisoners. As they were cleaning the courtyard, they were surprised by about 100 of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard.

With complete disregard for his own life, and under constant enemy fire, Sergeant Smith rallied his men and led a counterattack. Seeing that his wounded men were in danger of being overrun, and that enemy fire from the watch tower had pinned them down, Sergeant Smith manned a .50 caliber machine gun atop a damaged armor vehicle.

From a completely exposed position, he killed as many as 50 enemy soldiers as he protected his men. Sergeant Smith's leadership saved the men in the courtyard, and he prevented an enemy attack on the aid station just up the road. Sergeant Smith continued to fire and took -- until he took a fatal round to the head.

His actions in that courtyard saved the lives of more than 100 American soldiers.

Scripture tells us, as the general said, that a man has no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends, and that is exactly the responsibility Paul Smith believed the stars and stripes on his sleeve had given him.

In a letter he wrote to his parents but never mailed, he said that he was "prepared to give all that I am to ensure that all my boys make it home."

On this day two years ago, Sergeant Smith gave his all for his men. Five days later, Baghdad fell, and the Iraqi people were liberated. And today, we bestow upon Sergeant Smith the first Medal of Honor in the war on terror. He's also the first to be awarded this new Medal of Honor flag, authorized by the United States Congress.

We count ourselves blessed to have soldiers like Sergeant Smith, who put their lives on the line to advance the cause of freedom and protect the American people.

Like every one of the men and women in uniform who have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sergeant Paul Smith was a volunteer. We thank his family for the father, husband and son and brother who can never be replaced.

We recall with appreciation the fellow soldiers whose lives he saved and the many more he inspired. And we express our gratitude for a new generation of Americans every bit as selfless and dedicated to liberty as any that has gone on before, a dedication exemplified by the sacrifice and valor of Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith.

And now if his family will join me, please. Lieutenant Commander, please read the citation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of the United States of America, authorized by an act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith, United States Army.

Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed duty near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 April, 2003.

On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his task force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense, consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley fighting vehicle and three armored personnel carriers.

As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti- tank weapons and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60 millimeter mortar round.

Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded.

His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith's extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 3rd Infantry Division, Rock of the Morn (ph), and the United States Army.

NGUYEN: You've been watching as President Bush has awarded the Medal of Honor, the first Medal of Honor from the Iraq war, to Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith. His 11-year-old son there, David, has accepted on his father's behalf. This is only the third Medal of Honor given since the Vietnam War. Again, the first from the Iraq war.

We will have much more on Sergeant Ray's story, the heroic battle that he took part in -- Sergeant Smith's story, the heroic battle that he took part in to earn this prestigious honor. When we come back, Barbara Starr will have that story for us.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Taking you live now to St. Peter's Basilica, where thousands and millions will be piling past the pope's body, which lies in state there. They will come to say their final respects, their final good-byes, and this will be happening for the next few days.

The pope's funeral is on Friday, but until then, many will come from around the world to be with the pope, the pope called the man of the people, the pope of the people. He touched so many lives, and today those people have come to spend just a few moments with him. We'll continue our coverage of the pope.

PHILLIPS: At this point, the war in Iraq has claimed more than 1,500 American lives. Although the military classifies each death as hostile or non-hostile, in each case the bottom line is one life lost. But in the case of Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith, it may be more fitting to say one life given.

CNN's Barbara Starr has more on his remarkable sacrifice.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Smith led his men to Baghdad Airport in April 2003, the combat was intense. He did not know that by the time it was over, one of his soldiers would make history.

LT. COL. THOMAS SMITH, U.S. ARMY: There was a lot of folks doing a lot of heroic things, but he stood out.

STARR: Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith's extraordinary valor, his courage under fire, would lead to the Medal of Honor.

It happened in this courtyard, just another fire fight, at least at the start. This is an audio recording of that battle, a soldier taping the letter home leaves his recorder running.

Matters quickly grow desperate. Sergeant Smith's platoon comes under fire from at least 100 Iraqi troops.

SMITH: He personally throws -- we know from sworn statements -- two hand grenades over the wall.

STARR: An armored vehicle runs out of ammunition and has to pull back.

SMITH: I think this is the point that Sergeant Smith makes a fundamental decision.

STARR: The sergeant jumps up on a vehicle and begins firing the only significant weapon the men have left, a .50 caliber machine gun.

SMITH: He's exposed from the waist up the entire time he's firing.

STARR: Sergeant Smith knows the Iraqis are now targeting him, but it gives his soldiers time to counter attack. Smith is killed. SMITH: And for months afterwards, you couldn't even really talk about it.

STARR: It was only later Lieutenant Colonel Smith began his own journey, realizing what happened and assembling the records that led to the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor for valor in combat.

SMITH: You think hard. Is this, could it be? Have I just been part of a unit with a soldier who has -- who has done something of that magnitude?

STARR: Lieutenant Colonel Smith still reflects on what he believes the sergeant must have been thinking.

SMITH: He has chosen a place in time and a position that he is going to continue to fire on the enemy, until they go or he goes.

STARR: The commander left behind remembers a Paul Ray Smith who chose never to leave.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, let's check in on the markets, the big board. Live from the New York Stock Exchange right now, Dow Industrials up 33 points. More LIVE FROM right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Continuing to take you to St. Peter's Basilica today as the pope lies in state. Hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions want to file past to pay their final respects. Many have been waiting for hours to get inside for just that small moment when they can say their good-bye to the pope.

They have waited for a very long time. They've come from very far away. This pope meant a lot to so many people, 1.1 billion Catholics around the world, and many of them, today, as you can see from live pictures, are coming to say good-bye to a man that meant so much to them.

PHILLIPS: That wraps up this Monday edition of LIVE FROM. Thanks so much for joining us.

NGUYEN: Judy Woodruff and Wolf Blitzer now continue our coverage of an extraordinary pope.

Hello, Judy and Wolf.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi. Thanks to you, Betty and Kyra.

Thousands of mourners began to pay their final respects to Pope John Paul II today. Our live in Vatican City as they say their good- byes. WOLF BLITZER, CO-HOST: Plus a close look at pope's late beliefs and how they're central to many political debates here in the United States. Our special coverage of an extraordinary pope, John Paul II, continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired April 4, 2005 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: The famous bronze doors of St. Peter's Basilica are open to the general public at last. Thousands had anxiously awaited a chance to pay their respects to Pope John Paul II. The pope's body will lie in state at St. Peter's Square until Friday's funeral.
At the White House, a different kind of memorial this hour as President Bush presents the Medal of Honor to the family of Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith. Two years ago today, Smith gave his own life to protect scores of soldiers during a battle near the Baghdad airport. Smith's 11-year-old son, David, will accept the medal on his late father's behalf. We will go live to the ceremony just ahead.

Also want to tell about flooding from weekend rain. That is now forcing thousands to evacuate parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. New Jersey's acting governor, Richard Cody, has declared a state of emergency and barred nonessential state workers from Trenton today.

Governor Ed Rendell has also declared a state of emergency in parts of Pennsylvania. Many northern rivers are expected to crest at least two feet above flood levels.

And finally, showdown in St. Louis. Tonight brings the NCAA men's basketball finals to an exciting finish, with Illinois meeting with those UNC Tarheels. It is the first time since 1975 that the March Madness finale features teams ranked first and second on the AP press poll.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: He was called the pope of the people. And it's the people who now fill St. Peter's Square, many of them coming for a last look at the only pope they've ever known.

The doors to St. Peter's Basilica opened a little more than an hour ago for public viewing of Pope John Paul's body. He will lie in state until his funeral on Friday. Two million people are expected to have visited the site to pay their respects by then.

CNN's Aaron Brown joins us now live with more -- Aaron.

AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Good afternoon.

It's -- we were just standing up on this where we are rooftop with binoculars in hand, looking down on that sea of people who mostly are waiting. It's just after 9 p.m. in the evening here in Rome. It's chilly again. They're waiting; they've been standing for a long time. And then they move into a long line, as I suspect you can see now. And their moment inside, their moment to say their good-byes, is very brief, and then they come out again.

We talk, we have talked many times in life about grief has some formal stages, and part of the reason we have funerals and part of the reason that we do these things in life is so that we can come to acceptance of what has happened. And we suspect that one of the things that, as people pass by, they come to accept, that John Paul, who meant so much to the world's billion plus Catholics and to -- I dare say, many non-Catholics, as well, that he has, in fact passed away.

It's that sort of moment. And it will go on, as you said, until Friday, the mass at 10 in the morning here in Rome. That's 4 in the morning, early Friday morning back home on the East Coast of the United States. And then the process will move forward to the selection of a new pope after -- after a period of waiting for that.

PHILLIPS: Our Aaron Brown there with our continuing coverage.

As hundreds of thousands of people continue to go through St. Peter's Basilica and pay their respects to Pope John Paul II, many of them Americans, as Aaron Brown mentioned. A sea of people.

American Catholics, too, with a lot of issues on their mind as they think about the next pope. John Allen covers the Vatican for us and has also been following our continuing coverage.

And John, there was a number of polls that were done, Catholics only, talking -- CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll talking about what American Catholics are thinking about now when looking to the future and looking at a new pope. Specifically, what the next pope should do: issues of birth control, priests to marry, allowing women priests.

And this poll saying that 78 percent of Catholics say the next pope should allow birth control.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Yes, you know, there's a paradox there that American Catholics, as we know from similar polls, had overwhelmingly favorable reactions to John Paul II the person. Didn't always agree, necessarily, with some of his policies.

In fact, there was -- there's an Italian cardinal by the name of Tucci, Roberto Tucci, who is over 80 and won't participate in this conclave. But in an earlier stage in his career, he was the pope's chief trip planner. And during one of his trips to America, someone asked Tucci what he thought about the relationship American Catholics had with the pope. And his answer was, "I have the impression that they like the singer but not the song."

PHILLIPS: And 63 percent saying the next pope should allow priests to marry.

ALLEN: Yes, and that, of course, actually ironically enough, is an issue that perhaps would be a bit simpler for a future pope to resolve in the sense that it's not a theological question. There is no theological reason that a priest can't be married. As a matter of fact, in the first 10 centuries of church history, for the most part, priests were married. Even St. Peter himself had a wife.

And in the Catholic Church today there are a number of eastern rite churches that are in union with the Roman Catholic Church that have a married clergy.

And there also some 400 or 500 priests in the United States alone that have converted either from the Episcopalian Church or one of the other Anglican churches or from Lutheranism, who were married when they were in those churches and who were allowed to remain married even after being ordained as Catholic priests.

So there are precedents, and this is a disciplinary rather than doctrinal problem. So this is the kind of thing you might see some movement on in a future pontificate.

PHILLIPS: What about movement with regard to allowing women priests? Fifty=five of Catholics saying the next pope should allow women priests.

ALLEN: Yes, that unfortunately is -- is a bit of a more difficult question, because that is a theological question. Both Paul VI and John Paul I in their documents on these questions have made the argument the church simply does not have the authority to ordain women as priests, because Christ did not call women as apostles.

Moreover, John Paul II attempted to make the argument that men and women are different from one another. They have complementary but equally important roles. And so while men are called to the priesthood, woman are called to other, equally important but distinct roles.

That's an argument that, as those poll numbers indicate, hasn't persuaded everyone.

PHILLIPS: Vatican analyst John Allen will continue our rolling coverage there from St. Peter's Basilica. We're going to move to another story happening at this moment.

NGUYEN: We want to take you live now to the White House, where President Bush is presenting the first Medal of Honor for the Iraq war.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith of Florida gave his life for these ideals in a deadly battle outside Baghdad. It is my great privilege to recognize his extraordinary sacrifice by awarding Sergeant Smith the Medal of Honor.

I appreciate Secretary Don Rumsfeld joining us today, Secretary Jim Nicholson of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Senator Carl Levin, Senator Bill Nelson, Senator Mel Martinez, Senator Johnny Isaacson and Congressman Ike Skelton. Thank you all for joining us. I appreciate Secretary Francis Harvey, secretary of the Army; General Dick Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff; General Pete Pace, vice chairman; General Pete Schumacher, chief of the Army.

I want to thank the Medal of Honor -- Medal of Honor recipients who joined us today: John Baker, Barney Barnum, Bernie Fisher, Al Roscon and Brian Thacker. Honored you all are here.

I appreciate the family members who joined us all today. Thank you all for coming. Birgit Smith, his wife; Jessica Smith, David Smith, Janice Pvirre, the mom; Donald Pvirre, the stepfather and all the other family members who have joined us. Welcome.

I appreciate Chaplain David Hicks for his invocation. I want to thank lieutenant colonels Tom Smith for joining us, who is Paul Smith's commanders. Particularly want to welcome soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division, Paul's unit in Iraq.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for bravery a president can bestow. It is given for gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in the face of enemy attack. Since World War II more than a half of those have been awarded this medal gave their lives in the action that earned it. Sergeant Paul Smith belongs to this select group.

The story of Paul Smith is a story of a boy transformed into a man and a leader. His friends and family will tell you that he joined the Army in 1989 after finishing high school. When he joined the Army, he was a typical young American. He liked sports. He liked fast cars. And he liked to stay out late with his friends, pursuits that occasionally earned him what the Army calls extra duty, scrubbing floors.

Two things would change Paul's life and lead him to the selfless heroism we honor today. The first would come when he was stationed in Germany and fell for a woman named Birgit Bacha (ph). Turns out that Paul had a romantic streak in him. On the first night he met her, Paul appeared outside Birgit's window singing, "You've Lost that Loving Feeling."

In 1992, the two married, and soon a young soldier became a devoted family man who played t-ball with his son and taught his daughter how to change the oil in his Jeep Cherokee.

Second great change in Paul's life would come when he was shipped to Saudi Arabia to fight in the first Gulf War. There, the young combat engineer learned that his training had a purpose and could save lives on the battlefield. Paul returned from that war determined that other soldiers would benefit from the lessons he had learned. Paul earned his sergeant stripes and became known as a stickler for detail.

Sergeant Smith's seriousness wasn't always appreciated by the greener troops under his direction. Those greener troops oftentimes found themselves to do the tasks over and over again until they got it right.

Specialist Michael Seaman, who is with us today, says, "He was hard in training, because he knew we had to be hard in battle." Specialist Seaman will also tell you that he and others are alive today because of Sergeant Smith's discipline. That discipline would be put to the task in a small courtyard less than one mile from the Baghdad Airport.

Sergeant Smith was leading about three dozen men, who were using a courtyard next to a watch tower to build a temporary jail for captured enemy prisoners. As they were cleaning the courtyard, they were surprised by about 100 of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard.

With complete disregard for his own life, and under constant enemy fire, Sergeant Smith rallied his men and led a counterattack. Seeing that his wounded men were in danger of being overrun, and that enemy fire from the watch tower had pinned them down, Sergeant Smith manned a .50 caliber machine gun atop a damaged armor vehicle.

From a completely exposed position, he killed as many as 50 enemy soldiers as he protected his men. Sergeant Smith's leadership saved the men in the courtyard, and he prevented an enemy attack on the aid station just up the road. Sergeant Smith continued to fire and took -- until he took a fatal round to the head.

His actions in that courtyard saved the lives of more than 100 American soldiers.

Scripture tells us, as the general said, that a man has no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends, and that is exactly the responsibility Paul Smith believed the stars and stripes on his sleeve had given him.

In a letter he wrote to his parents but never mailed, he said that he was "prepared to give all that I am to ensure that all my boys make it home."

On this day two years ago, Sergeant Smith gave his all for his men. Five days later, Baghdad fell, and the Iraqi people were liberated. And today, we bestow upon Sergeant Smith the first Medal of Honor in the war on terror. He's also the first to be awarded this new Medal of Honor flag, authorized by the United States Congress.

We count ourselves blessed to have soldiers like Sergeant Smith, who put their lives on the line to advance the cause of freedom and protect the American people.

Like every one of the men and women in uniform who have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sergeant Paul Smith was a volunteer. We thank his family for the father, husband and son and brother who can never be replaced.

We recall with appreciation the fellow soldiers whose lives he saved and the many more he inspired. And we express our gratitude for a new generation of Americans every bit as selfless and dedicated to liberty as any that has gone on before, a dedication exemplified by the sacrifice and valor of Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith.

And now if his family will join me, please. Lieutenant Commander, please read the citation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of the United States of America, authorized by an act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith, United States Army.

Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed duty near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 April, 2003.

On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his task force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense, consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley fighting vehicle and three armored personnel carriers.

As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti- tank weapons and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60 millimeter mortar round.

Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded.

His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith's extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 3rd Infantry Division, Rock of the Morn (ph), and the United States Army.

NGUYEN: You've been watching as President Bush has awarded the Medal of Honor, the first Medal of Honor from the Iraq war, to Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith. His 11-year-old son there, David, has accepted on his father's behalf. This is only the third Medal of Honor given since the Vietnam War. Again, the first from the Iraq war.

We will have much more on Sergeant Ray's story, the heroic battle that he took part in -- Sergeant Smith's story, the heroic battle that he took part in to earn this prestigious honor. When we come back, Barbara Starr will have that story for us.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Taking you live now to St. Peter's Basilica, where thousands and millions will be piling past the pope's body, which lies in state there. They will come to say their final respects, their final good-byes, and this will be happening for the next few days.

The pope's funeral is on Friday, but until then, many will come from around the world to be with the pope, the pope called the man of the people, the pope of the people. He touched so many lives, and today those people have come to spend just a few moments with him. We'll continue our coverage of the pope.

PHILLIPS: At this point, the war in Iraq has claimed more than 1,500 American lives. Although the military classifies each death as hostile or non-hostile, in each case the bottom line is one life lost. But in the case of Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith, it may be more fitting to say one life given.

CNN's Barbara Starr has more on his remarkable sacrifice.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Smith led his men to Baghdad Airport in April 2003, the combat was intense. He did not know that by the time it was over, one of his soldiers would make history.

LT. COL. THOMAS SMITH, U.S. ARMY: There was a lot of folks doing a lot of heroic things, but he stood out.

STARR: Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith's extraordinary valor, his courage under fire, would lead to the Medal of Honor.

It happened in this courtyard, just another fire fight, at least at the start. This is an audio recording of that battle, a soldier taping the letter home leaves his recorder running.

Matters quickly grow desperate. Sergeant Smith's platoon comes under fire from at least 100 Iraqi troops.

SMITH: He personally throws -- we know from sworn statements -- two hand grenades over the wall.

STARR: An armored vehicle runs out of ammunition and has to pull back.

SMITH: I think this is the point that Sergeant Smith makes a fundamental decision.

STARR: The sergeant jumps up on a vehicle and begins firing the only significant weapon the men have left, a .50 caliber machine gun.

SMITH: He's exposed from the waist up the entire time he's firing.

STARR: Sergeant Smith knows the Iraqis are now targeting him, but it gives his soldiers time to counter attack. Smith is killed. SMITH: And for months afterwards, you couldn't even really talk about it.

STARR: It was only later Lieutenant Colonel Smith began his own journey, realizing what happened and assembling the records that led to the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor for valor in combat.

SMITH: You think hard. Is this, could it be? Have I just been part of a unit with a soldier who has -- who has done something of that magnitude?

STARR: Lieutenant Colonel Smith still reflects on what he believes the sergeant must have been thinking.

SMITH: He has chosen a place in time and a position that he is going to continue to fire on the enemy, until they go or he goes.

STARR: The commander left behind remembers a Paul Ray Smith who chose never to leave.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, let's check in on the markets, the big board. Live from the New York Stock Exchange right now, Dow Industrials up 33 points. More LIVE FROM right after a break.

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NGUYEN: Continuing to take you to St. Peter's Basilica today as the pope lies in state. Hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions want to file past to pay their final respects. Many have been waiting for hours to get inside for just that small moment when they can say their good-bye to the pope.

They have waited for a very long time. They've come from very far away. This pope meant a lot to so many people, 1.1 billion Catholics around the world, and many of them, today, as you can see from live pictures, are coming to say good-bye to a man that meant so much to them.

PHILLIPS: That wraps up this Monday edition of LIVE FROM. Thanks so much for joining us.

NGUYEN: Judy Woodruff and Wolf Blitzer now continue our coverage of an extraordinary pope.

Hello, Judy and Wolf.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi. Thanks to you, Betty and Kyra.

Thousands of mourners began to pay their final respects to Pope John Paul II today. Our live in Vatican City as they say their good- byes. WOLF BLITZER, CO-HOST: Plus a close look at pope's late beliefs and how they're central to many political debates here in the United States. Our special coverage of an extraordinary pope, John Paul II, continues in just a moment.

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