The first Medal of Honor awarded for service in Iraq will be presented next Monday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan announced yesterday.

Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, 33, died behind the trigger of a .50-caliber machine gun as he fought off an Iraqi attack near Baghdad's international airport on April 4, 2003.

He is credited with saving more than 100 American lives and killing at least 50 Iraqis.

"This was something beyond the call of duty," said Col. Will Grimsley, one of the commanders of the 3rd Infantry Division who nominated Smith for the Medal of Honor.

President Bush will present the medal to Smith's 11-year-old son, David, during the White House ceremony, said Birgit Smith, the soldier's widow.

There will be a second ceremony next Tuesday morning at the Pentagon.

Then in the afternoon, the family will attend another ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, where Smith's headstone will be unveiled.

"At least my mind is at rest because with the Medal of Honor, Paul's name will go on in history," his wife said yesterday from her home in Holiday, Fla. "His name will never die. This is very important to me."