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December 19, 2005

SSG William Thomas Payne

McQ continues his series on American heroes with SSG William Thomas Payne. At the time of the action that won him a Silver Star, SSG Payne was a squad leader in the 1st Cavalry division (the unit that CPT 4ever was assigned to, and would have gone to Iraq with had they taken part in the invasion). The action took place in Sadr City Sheik Maroof [corrected per comments], near the infamous Haifa Street, in September, 2004.

While picking up observers that had stayed out overnight in the area, a Bradley was disabled by a car bomb. In a tactic common at the time, this was coupled with small arms fire from concealed enemy fighters. Under fire, and with the Bradley in flames, SSG Payne climbed on the Bradley, and pulled out its crew and the infantry trapped in the back of the vehicle. While he was doing this, not only was he under small arms fire from the enemy, but the ammunition in the Bradley had begun to cook off: exploding from the heat. Despite these dangers, SSG Payne and Spc. Chase Ash, a soldier from Payne's squad, got all of the men out of the Bradley, and the squad was able to set up medical care for the wounded until they could be evacuated safely.
Squad from the 1st Cavalry Division with squad leader and Silver Star winner SSG William Payne
One way that you can tell that we are winning is that you no longer hear about places like Haifa Street: they are too pacified to be of interest to the media. And they are that way because of the heroic actions of our soldiers, like SSG Payne and his squad. The picture is SSG Payne's squad. SSG Payne is standing, third from the left.

Thank you, SSG Payne, for your service.

Posted by jeff at December 19, 2005 10:38 AM

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Comments

Ummm, not to downplay Payne's heroism, but Haifa Street is not in Sadr City. It's in a neighborhood south of Sadr (or Al-Thawra) City called Sheik Maroof. But, yes, Haifa Street was (is?) a scary place and what he did should be commended. That's why we should be a little me careful to get the details correct.

Posted by: A Nameless NCO Who Spent 17 Months In Iraq at December 20, 2005 7:01 AM

Erk! My fault. I think I need to find a better map.

Posted by: Jeff Medcalf [TypeKey Profile Page] at December 20, 2005 8:18 AM