20-year memorial and rededication ceremony for SFC Paul Ray Smith held at U.S. Army Simulation and Training Technology Center

 

Twenty years after the U.S. Army Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC)’s commemoration ceremony dedicating their research center in honor of SFC Paul Ray Smith, a Florida native and Medal of Honor recipient, the STTC held a rededication and memorial event, May 14. Some of Smith’s family members, STTC leaders, and community members gathered at the STTC to honor and remember the fallen hero.

 

Smith received the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq, on April 4, 2003. Readers can learn the full story at The National Medal of Honor Museum website.

 

The STTC chose to honor Smith by dedicating their facility in his honor because of his focus on training and taking care of his soldiers. The center’s employees are reminded every day upon entering the building and by memorial items in the facility that the work they do makes an enormous difference to Soldiers. Smith’s dedication to service was paramount, and he knew the potential risks. Before his deployment to Iraq, SFC Smith told his family, “There are two ways to come home: stepping off the plane or being carried off the plane. It doesn’t matter how I come home, because I’m prepared to give all that I am to ensure my boys make it home.”

 

Beth Pettitt, Ph.D., chief, medical simulation, research, U.S. Army DEVCOM, STTC, was the emcee for the event. She has been with the center since it launched. She spoke about the memorial: “To all who work here, the memorial is a constant reminder, a face, a legacy for whom our work supports. In 2005, the employees of the center volunteered many hours laying the pavers, landscaping, and building the memorial you see here. They continue to maintain the memorial to this day,” said Pettitt.”

 

Other speakers included Robert “Bob” Sottilare, Ph.D., the first director of the STTC; Larry Ziock, the chairperson of the Fallen Soldier Committee; and Matthew Clarke, associate director of the Natick Soldier Center at the U.S. Army DEVCOM.

 

“Today we gather, not just to rededicate a building, but to honor a hero, a man’s courage, sacrifice and unwavering devotion to his country,” said Clarke.

 

The memorial event concluded with leaders at the STTC presenting the 20th anniversary history book to Smith’s family, former directors of the STTC, and those closely involved in the creation of the memorial.

 

“This commemorative book is a reflection of our collective journey, a history written by the employees of the STTC, capturing the voices, milestones, and memories that define our mission and culture,” said Pettitt. “These combined efforts have resulted in a lasting historical document, one that honors our past, but also serves to inspire and inform our future.”