Posted on 09/03/2020 3:39:24 PM PDT by DFG
An American soldier who helped rescue about 70 hostages set to be executed by Islamic State militants in Iraq has been approved to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during a daring 2015 raid, The Associated Press has learned.
Sgt. Maj. Thomas “Patrick” Payne, a Ranger assigned to the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Command, will receive the U.S. military’s highest honor for valor in combat in a White House ceremony set to be held on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The medal approval was confirmed by two Defense Department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the record. Payne was initially given the Army’s second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross, for the special operations raid, which is now being upgraded to a Medal of Honor.
Contacted by the AP on Monday, the Pentagon would not comment. The White House did not respond to an email inquiry.
The medal will honor Payne’s actions in a daring predawn raid on Oct. 22, 2015. Seeking to rescue 70 Islamic State hostages, American and Kurdish commandos flew in CH-47 Chinook helicopters to the town of Huwija, located roughly 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
I think there are only about 50 something living MOH winnners. One of them lives in my small town, I’ve met him a couple of times. Great guy.
God Bless our Military!
Actually 2 words: Hero Badass
Hero Badass like Spiers in “Band of Brothers”.
...........looked it up for you, wiki says 80 are living....
Thanks for the post.
We need hear about the goodness in our military.
This man is a real life super hero who went beyond the beyond. God must have had his back for all the evil trying to kill him, letting him rescue all those people. And an enlisted man because he works for a living.
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