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Army Ranger Patrick Payne Awarded Congressional Medal of Honor For Heroism in Liberating 75 Hostages
Sgt. Maj. Thomas “Patrick” Payne won the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism and selflessness that helped liberate 75 hostages in Iraq.
International
The White House presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to Sgt. Maj. Thomas “Patrick” Payne this week for heroism and selfless actions that were key to liberating 75 hostages under fire during a rescue mission five years ago in Hawija, Iraq.
The South Carolina youth had originally joined the Army after 9/11, inspired by patriotism and a desire to defend the United States. Soon, he joined the elite ranks of the legendary Army Rangers.
He would endure 14 deployments before the day of October 22, 2015, when then-Sergeant First Class Payne—as part of a joint task force assisting Iraqi security forces—raided an ISIS prison to liberate 70 hostages, after a request by the Kurdistan government.
Pat and his fellow Rangers fought through the fire and the bullets. Pat navigated to the front door and saw the captives were being held behind a metal door secured by two very heavy padlocks. The building was on fire and partly collapsed.