D. F. Payne
Corporal, U.S. Army

In September 1951, Corporal D. F. Payne was serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division., in Korea.

On 2 September, CPL Payne's unit was engaged with enemy forces in the vicinity of Mandae-ri, North Korea. Company C was engaged in an attack against a series of heavily fortified enemy positions located on a hill of vital strategic importance. Because of the commanding terrain held by the enemy troops, the Company's casualties mounted and CPL Payne, in an effort to evacuate his helpless comrades from the scene of battle, organized his recoilless rifle section into litter squads and they made repeated trips across the fire-swept terrain carrying several of the wounded to safety. Doing this required he and his men to move along a trail through a combination minefield and barbed-wire barrier, while directly under enemy guns. Despite this, CPL Payne continued with his self-assigned mission, often cradling his stricken comrades in his arms to shield them from enemy fire and running through the impact area to a position of safety. Although exhausted and near collapse from his exertion, he traversed the hazardous route each time he heard the call of a wounded comrade. While searching for additional casualties in an area where the battle was raging fiercely, he discovered a hostile machine-gun emplacement a few yards in front of him. He called for mortar fire and, from an exposed position, adjusted the fire until the enemy emplacement had been destroyed. It was in this effort that CPL Payne was mortally wounded by the intense enemy fire. His courageous and selfless actions saved the lives of many of his comrades and earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to D. F. Payne (US54039301), Corporal, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Corporal Payne distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Mandae-ri, Korea, on 2 September 1951. On that date, the company of which Corporal Payne was a member was engaged in a determined attack against a series of heavily fortified enemy positions located on a hill of vital strategic importance. Because of the commanding terrain held by the hostile troops, the friendly casualties mounted and Corporal Payne, in an effort to evacuate his helpless comrades from the scene of battle, organized his recoilless rifle section into litter squads. Making repeated trips across the fire-swept terrain, Corporal Payne carried several of the wounded to safety. Although it necessitated his moving along a trail through a combination minefield and barbed-wire barrier directly under the enemy guns, Corporal Payne voluntarily continued with his self-assigned mission, often cradling his stricken comrades in his arms to shield them from enemy fire and running through the impact area to a position of safety. Although exhausted and near collapse from his tremendous exertion, he unhesitatingly traversed the hazardous route each time he heard the call of a wounded comrade. As he searched for additional casualties in an area where the battle was raging fiercely, he observed a hitherto undiscovered hostile machine-gun emplacement a few yards before him. Without regard for his personal safety, he immediately called for mortar fire and, from an exposed position, adjusted the fire until the enemy emplacement had been destroyed. It was in this position that Corporal Payne was later mortally wounded by the intense enemy fire. His selfless actions save the lives of many of his comrades wand greatly inspired all those witnessing them.

Burial

Corporal D. F. Payne is buried at Floydada Cemetery in Floydada, Floyd County, TX, in Plot: South, Section 7, Block 5, KOR, Space 4.

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