In 2020, a small town in South Carolina unofficially became known as the hometown of living war heroes.
Last year, on Sept. 11, Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas Patrick Payne stood at attention in his pink and green dress uniform at the White House when then-President Donald Trump draped the Medal of Honor across his shoulders for his bravery under fire in Iraq that resulted in the rescue of 70 Iraqi prisoners.
He became the first living U.S. Army Special Operations soldier from South Carolina to receive the military’s highest accolade.
But Payne was the second Medal of Honor recipient who claimed roots in the small South Carolina town of Batesburg-Leesville.
In 2014, Cpl. Kyle Carpenter’s scarred and wounded face was broadcast around the world when he was awarded the Medal of Honor by then-President Barack Obama for his split-second decision to throw his body toward a grenade in Afghanistan to save his fellow Marines.
In 2020, a small town in South Carolina unofficially became known as the hometown of living war heroes.
Kyle Carpenter and Patrick Payne were strangers growing up in their small South Carolina town, but they're now bonded for life by the Medal of Honor. https://t.co/gQINulOzQy
— Thomas Novelly (@TomNovelly) November 11, 2021