Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne is one of the greatest heroes to ever live.
Payne, who joined the military in the aftermath of 9/11, will be awarded the highest military honor Friday by President Trump for his actions during a 2015 hostage rescue mission in Iraq against ISIS. The mission would be the same mission that Master Sgt. Josh Wheeler died on. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Following his trip to Shanksville, PA, to commemorate 9/11, POTUS will award the Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne at the WH — Payne is the first living Delta Force member recipient and the first ever recipient from Operation Inherent Resolve (campaign against ISIS)
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) September 11, 2020
I’ve heard some insane details about missions carried about by the United States military, and this one from Payne, who is a member of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, ranks right among the best.
According to the Army, Payne, who has been identified by some as a member of Delta Force, rescued 70 hostages who were awaiting execution by ISIS on October 22 near Hawija, Iraq.
The details are downright absurd. Payne rushed through buildings under heavy fire, multiple suicide vests went off and he put himself at risk to cut doors open to free the hostages.
In case you thought this was a simple snatch and grab, it most certainly wasn’t. According to the Army, Payne re-entered the dangerous scene multiple times to save every single hostage. The Army wrote:
With disregard for his own safety, Payne then reentered the building two more times to ensure every hostage was out. One of those times he had to forcibly remove one of the hostages who had been too frightened to move during the chaotic scene, he said.
So, for those of you keeping score at home, this is the rundown of why Payne is getting the Medal of Honor. He traveled with a special forces team to northern Iraq to free hostages awaiting execution by ISIS, took on heavy fire from the enemy, pushed forward, “exposed” himself to enemy fire to get the doors open and proceeded to return to the building multiple times to make sure not a single person was left behind.
If that’s not badass, then I don’t know what is. They saved 70 people! 70 people got to come home because of Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne.
How many humans on the planet would have the courage to do what he did? He ran towards the sound of gunfire multiple times to save complete strangers.
Once the bullets stopped flying, Payne and the rest of his team gave “at least 20 insurgents” permanent dirt naps.
This guy better never pay for a beer for the rest of his life. As long as we have people like Payne on our side, I’m not losing one bit of sleep over the terrorists.
Imagine what these clowns in ISIS must have been thinking once this dude started kicking in doors. They knew they were all absolutely screwed. Major props to Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne for being an American hero. The man is a living legend.