Gunfire ripped through the air and suicide-vest explosions rattled the ground as then-Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Patrick Payne peered inside the burning building where dozens of Islamic State-held prisoners remained locked in cells.
He knew he needed to move quickly or the hostages would burn to death, the longtime Army special operator said. He entered the building, exposing himself to machine gun fire, and with a set of bolt cutters, freed the prisoners from the jail in the northern Iraqi city of Hawija.
For his actions in the Oct. 22, 2015, raid, which ended with the first American service member killed by ISIS since the U.S. return to Iraq in late 2014, Payne, now a sergeant major, was presented the Medal of Honor on Friday by President Donald Trump. The award is an upgrade of the Distinguished Service Cross that Payne was initially awarded in 2017. He is just the second living service member to receive the nation’s highest honor for combat valor for actions in Iraq.
Wearing his brand new World War II-inspired Army Green service uniform, Payne cracked a slight smile after Trump placed the medal around his neck, peering around the soldier’s side to ensure it was straight.
Payne is “one of the bravest men anywhere in the world,” Trump told an audience in the East Room of the White House, which was filled with senior Pentagon officials and the soldier’s family.
“Pat, you personify the motto Rangers Lead the Way, and you inspire us all,” the president said.
In an interview Wednesday, Payne, 36, struggled to describe his feelings about receiving the Medal of Honor, which he said should be credited to the troops with whom he served on the battlefield that day and the dozens of mentors who shaped him into one of the Army’s most elite special operators…
Continue Reading