Sergeant Major Thomas “Pat” Payne has been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration, for his work on a rescue mission that led to the freedom of 75 ISIS-held hostages.
In presenting the award Friday at the White House, President Trump hailed Payne as representing the best qualities of the U.S. armed forces.
“Today he joins the immortal company of our most revered Americans heroes,” President Trump said, praising Payne’s heroism over 17 deployments and his commitment to rescuing hostages during the Oct. 22, 2015 mission.
“Pat, you personify the motto ‘Rangers lead the way,'” Trump said.
Payne, who was a sergeant first class at the time of the dangerous nighttime rescue mission, was part of the Delta-force team that freed dozens of hostages and was personally responsible for liberating 37 of those captured.
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“Sergeant Payne’s extraordinary heroism and selfless actions were key to liberating 75 hostages during a contested rescue mission that resulted in 20 enemy fighters killed in action,” the White House said in a statement.
Payne is the first member of the military Delta force, a special operations force that specializes in counter-terrorism missions, to receive the prestigious military honor.
