Francis W. Payne
Home Town: Charlestown, WV
Distinguished Service Cross
World War I
U.S. Army
General Orders No. No. 132, W.D., 1918
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Francis W. Payne, Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while in charge of an ammunition carrying party near Soissons, France, July 19, 1918. Second Lieutenant Payne showed the highest degree of courage in taking ammunition to the front lines through artillery and machine-gun fire, and was killed while engaged in this duty.