Soldier receives Medal of Honor after helping save 70 captives from execution by Islamic State

The team of elite U.S. Army soldiers had already freed dozens of captives at the Islamic State compound when an urgent plea crackled over the radio: Another team on the roof of a burning building nearby was taking enemy fire from multiple sides.

First Sgt. Thomas P. Payne peered through his night-vision goggles in the predawn hours of Oct. 22, 2015, midway through a daring prisoner rescue in northern Iraq. A fellow soldier had already been shot, and enemy fire roared just 30 yards away.

“Let’s get into the fight,” he told a teammate before climbing a ladder to reach the rooftop, then dropping grenades and firing down through holes to the floor below.

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