Hostage Rescue in Iraq: SGM Thomas P. Payne

Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.

Thomas P. Payne was born on April 2nd, 1984. He grew up in both Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina, and Lugoff, South Carolina. When the 9/11 attacks occurred during his senior year in high school, Payne was inspired to serve his country. He enlisted in the Army on July 25, 2002, after graduating.

Payne became an Army Ranger, assigned first as a rifleman and serving as a sniper for five years. He was then selected for assignment to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, where he worked his way up to team sergeant.

In October 2015, then Sergeant 1st Class Payne and his unit were serving in Iraq as a part of Operation Inherent Resolve when they were called to join a task force composed of US Special Operations Command members and Kurdish allies. Their goal was to rescue over 70 Iraqi hostages held by ISIS, per the request of the Kurdish regional government. They studied the compound and rehearsed their attack for a week until they received intel that graves had been freshly dug at the front of the ISIS compound, signaling that the hostages would soon be executed. The task force was then ordered to carry out their mission.

On October 22nd 2015, Payne and the rest of the task force flew via helicopter to the ISIS compound near Hawija. Payne was acting as assistant team leader, and his team was responsible for securing one of the buildings where the hostages were held. When Payne’s team landed, they were greeted by thick clouds of dust and smoke, rendering it almost impossible to see. They moved towards their objective, climbing over the perimeter wall as a serious fire fight could be heard from another part of the compound. They got word over the radio that one of their comrades had been shot and needed assistance, so Payne’s medic separated from them and left to provide aid. At this point the Kurdish allies were becoming hesitant, as they had never executed a hostage rescue before, but the confidence of the Americans helped them shake it off.

Payne’s team continued forward, breaching the building while only being met with light resistance. They secured the area before cutting the locks on the cells where the hostages were kept, freeing 36 Iraqis. Then they received an urgent call on the radio from the team attempting to breach the other building where hostages were kept. With their area secured, Payne and one other teammate rotated over in order to help their allies. They moved together towards the call for help, using a ladder to maneuver onto the burning one-story building where their comrades were located. There they came under constant small arms and grenade fire from enemies outside the building, and up through holes in the roof from enemies below. Suicide bombers from below screamed and detonated their vests, rocking the surface on which Payne and his allies stood. Unable to enter the building from the roof, they decided to maneuver down and join another team attempting to breach the walls and windows. Through the breach point, Payne could see the door to the hostage’s cell, but reaching it would mean exposing himself to enemy fire from within the building. Disregarding his own safety, he asked for the bolt cutters. Payne’s team member looked at him and said “I’ve got you” before Payne rushed into the burning building. He immediately engaged the combatants before moving into a small foyer where he cut the top lock of the door. He tried cutting the second lock, but was pushed back by enemy fire and smoke filling the room. A Kurdish soldier attempted to move forward and cut the lock himself, but returned unsuccessful. Payne took the cutters again and rushed into the hot, smoke-filled room, and cut the bottom lock. Taking the queue, other members of the task force charged into the building, eliminating the rest of the enemies within. Hearing a call on the radio ordering an immediate evacuation from the now collapsing building, Payne and his team began moving hostages out to safety. Like a third base coach, Payne waived them one by one through the initial breach point as they continued to come under fire from enemies outside. When the train of Iraqis stopped prematurely, he reached and pulled one through the breach in order to continue the flow. After seemingly the last hostage had exited, Payne re-entered the building to find one Iraqi lying on the ground. He was still breathing, but had clearly given up due to physical or emotional exhaustion. Payne grabbed him by the back of the collar and dragged the 200 pound man through the exit, saving him from certain death. Payne re-entered the building one more time, exposing himself to enemy fire to do a final check, and called “Last Man”, signaling that he was the last one to leave the building. Under fire, Payne and his team moved the freed hostages through a field and onto a helicopter where they were taken to safety.

On September 11th, 2020, Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism and selfless service. Payne and his allies liberated 75 hostages in all, and killed 20 enemies. It has gone down as one of the largest hostage rescues in Special Operations history.

The Medal of Honor podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.

Nathan Corson is our executive producer and mixing engineer, Declan Rohrs is our associate producer, scriptwriter, and recording engineer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.

We are proud to support the National Medal of Honor Museum. To learn more, and to support their mission, go to mohmuseum.org. Thanks for listening.