Posted on 05/24/2019 3:38:02 AM PDT by naturalman1975
Keith Payne was born at Ingham, Queensland, on 30 August 1933. He attended Ingham State School and afterwards became an apprentice cabinet-maker. During this time he also served with the 31st Australian Infantry Battalion in the Citizens’ Military Force. Seeking greater opportunities, Payne joined the Australian Regular Army in August 1951 and after his basic and initial employment training was posted to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) in December 1951.
Payne was transferred to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in July 1952 and later that month was sent to Japan as an infantry reinforcement. In September 1952 he was sent to Korea, where he joined his unit. He served with the battalion until they were rotated out of Korea in March 1953, whereupon he was taken on strength of Headquarters, 28th British Commonwealth Brigade. He remained with this formation until the end of the Korean War, and returned to Australia in August 1953.
In December 1954 Payne married Florence Plaw, a member of the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps. He was promoted to corporal the following year and spent much of the next five years attending various courses and schools of instruction to further his army career.
In February 1960 Payne was posted to the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), then based at Enoggera in Queensland. He was promoted to sergeant in July 1961 and deployed to Malaysia in August 1963. During an operation on the Malay-Thai border in October 1964, Payne was slightly injured when he fell into a river as he was crossing. He remained on duty and returned to Australia with 3RAR in February 1965.
Later that month Payne was posted to the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. However, the posting was only brief, and in June that year he was appointed as an instructor to the Officer Training Unit at Scheyville, New South Wales.
In February 1967 he joined the 2nd Pacific Islands Regiment in Papua New Guinea. He was promoted to warrant officer class 2 in May that year and returned to Brisbane at the conclusion of his posting in March 1968.
On 24 February 1969 he was appointed to the Australian Army Training Team in Vietnam. In May that year he was commanding the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when it was attacked by a strong North Vietnamese force. His company was isolated and, surrounded on three sides, Payne's Vietnamese troops began to fall back. Payne, by now wounded in the hands and arms and under heavy fire, covered the withdrawal before organising his troops into a defensive perimeter. He then spent three hours scouring the scene of the day’s fight for isolated and wounded soldiers, all the while evading enemy troops, who kept up harassing fire. He found some 40 wounded men, brought some in himself and organised for the rescue of the others, leading the party back to base through enemy-dominated terrain. Years later, asked whether he was afraid, Payne replied, "My God yes, yes, I was.” Payne’s actions that night earned him the Victoria Cross.
He was evacuated to Brisbane in September suffering from an illness, receiving a warm reception at the Brisbane airport before entering hospital. He had recovered by November, and in January 1970 was posted as an instructor to the Royal Military College, Duntroon.
Payne received his VC from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II aboard the Royal Yacht, Britannia in Brisbane on 13 April 1970. He was made a Freeman of the city and of the shire in which his hometown was located. A park in Stafford, Brisbane, where Payne lived, was also named after him. He received the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star from the United States, and the Republic of Vietnam awarded him the Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star. He retired from the army in 1975, but saw further action as a captain with the Army of the Sultan of Oman during the Dhofar War.
Payne returned to Australia and became active in the veteran community, particularly in counseling sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder.
On 24TH May 1969, in Kontum Province, Warrant Officer Payne was Commanding 212th Company of 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when the battalion was attacked by a North Vietnamese force of superior strength. Under this heavy attack the indigenous soldiers began to fall back. Directly exposing himself to the enemy's fire, Warrant Officer Payne, through his own efforts, temporarily held off the assaults by alternately firing his weapon and running from position to position collecting grenades and throwing them at the assaulting enemy. While doing this he was wounded in the hand and arms. Despite his outstanding efforts, the indigenous soldiers gave way under the enemy's increased pressure and the Battalion Commander, together with several advisors and a few soldiers, withdrew. Paying no attention to his wounds and under extremely heavy enemy fire, Warrant Officer Payne covered his withdrawal by throwing grenades and firing his own weapon at the enemy who were attempting to follow up. Still under fire, he then ran across exposed ground to head off his own troops who were withdrawing in disorder. He successfully stopped them and organised the remnants of his and the second company into a temporary defensive perimeter by nightfall.
Having achieved this, Warrant Officer Payne of his own accord and at great personal risk, moved out of the perimeter into the darkness alone in an attempt to find the wounded and other indigenous soldiers. He finally collected forty lost soldiers, some of whom had been wounded and returned with this group to the temporary defensive position he had left, only to find that the remainder of the battalion had moved back. Undeterred by this setback and personally assisting a seriously wounded American advisor he led the group through the enemy to the safety of his battalion base. His sustained and heroic personal efforts, in this action were outstanding and undoubtedly saved the lives of a large number of his indigenous soldiers and several of his fellow advisors.
Warrant Officer Payne's repeated acts of exceptional personal bravery and unselfish conduct in this operation were an inspiration to all Vietnamese, United States and Australian soldiers who served with him. His conspicuous gallantry was in the highest traditions of the Australian Army.
List of Decorations
Victoria Cross (VC)
Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975
Korea Medal
United Nations Service Medal for Korea
General Service Medal (1962)
Vietnam Medal
Australian Service Medal 1945–1975
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Centenary Medal
Defence Force Service Medal with 2 clasps
National Medal
Australian Defence Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Long Service and Good Conduct Medal – Army
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Silver Star (United States)
Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star (South Vietnam)
Korean War Service Medal (South Korea)
Vietnam Campaign Medal (South Vietnam)
Dhofar Campaign Medal (Oman)
Dhofar Victory Medal (Oman)
Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysia)
Unit Citations - worn as a member of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam
Meritorious Unit Commendation (United States)
Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation (South Vietnam)
The Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry was initially sparingly given out on a deserving basis.
Towards the end of the war the South Vietnamese then awarded it to all units that served in Vietnam which basically made it a worthless attendance medal.
In my post above I forgot to mention that WO2 Keith was definitely a brave dude.
Neither the Victoria Cross nor the Medal of Honor are handed out to just anybody...to receive one is a clear indication that you're willing to put your country,the mission and your buddies' lives above your own life.I think that one can pretty well sum up what recipients of these awards are about by quoting Admiral Chester Nimitz who once said of the Marines who fought on Iwo Jima that among them "uncommon valor was a common virtue".
Outstanding. Thanks for the post.
L
WO Payne is a hero. Australia is fortunate to have him.
ANZAC DAY
Celebrated every 25th of May each year. In order to gain control of the Dardanelles Straights a huge armada set sail. It consisted of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The idea was to enable supply ships a route to Russia. The U-Boats controlling the alternate routes. The formidable Turkish forces held the heights above the Straights.
A foothold was gained but the endeavour proved a terrible disaster. Finally after over 30,000 casualties over months, the force was evacuated between dusk and dawn. That was a marvel of efficiency. Thousands of men safely aboard rescue ships. The Turks mostly asleep. Winston Churchill's idea as Lord of the Admiralty. He resigned and went to the Western Front in France to avoid the doom and gloom afterward.
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