Ira Monslay Payne

Ira Monslay Payne’s Personal Narrative was derived from information found in public records, military personnel files, and local/state historical association materials. Please note that the Robb Centre never fully closes the book on our servicemembers; as new information becomes available, narratives will be updated to appropriately represent the life story of each veteran.

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Military Honor(s):

Croix de Guerre with Silver Gilt Star

Distinguished Service Cross

Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Ira M. Payne (ASN: 2335281), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 372d Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., near Sechault, France. 29 September 1918. Having found a machine-gun hidden in a brush which was causing serious casualties to his company, he crept up, killed the gunners with his rifle, and captured the gun.

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Life & Service

  • Birth: 15 March 1872 , VA, United States
  • Place of Residence:
  • Race/Ethnicity: African American
  • Death: 19 July 1946 Washington, DC, United States
  • Branch: Army
  • Military Rank: Sergeant
  • Company: [A]
  • Infantry Regiment: 372nd
  • Division: 93rd

Personal Narrative

Early Life (Pre-War): Includes general parent information, sibling information, education Toggle Accordion

Ira Monslay Payne was born to George H. (1833-?) and Cecelia Alexander Watson (1845-?) on 15 March 1872 in Virginia, the second of three children, Charles (1871-?) and Edward Moss (1878-?). The family moved to Washington, DC in the early 1880s, where Payne, Sr. worked as a carpenter. Payne, Jr. attended elementary school up until the third grade. On 28 November 1893, Payne married Minnie Patterson (1874-1948) in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The couple had one child, Ira George, Jr. (1895-1932). Ira G. Payne served as a Private in the 167th Field Artillery, 92nd Division, during World War I, and was sent overseas.

Service: Includes a summary of transfers, rank change(s), training, enlistment, and discharge locations Toggle Accordion

Payne enlisted in the U.S. Army on an unknown date; he, and Company A, 372nd Infantry Regiment, left Newport News, Virginia on 30 March 1918 aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Susquehanna, arriving in Brest, France on 6 April. First Sergeant Payne received the Distinguished Service Cross and Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star for his actions near Sechault, France on 29 September, 1918;

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Ira M. Payne (ASN: 2335281), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 372d Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., near Sechault, France. 29 September 1918. Having found a machine-gun hidden in a brush which was causing serious casualties to his company, he crept up, killed the gunners with his rifle, and captured the gun.” WD, G.O. No. 13.

First Sergeant Payne and his Company left Brest, France on 3 February 1919 aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Leviathan, arriving in the United States on 11 February. First Sergeant Payne was Honorably Discharged on 3 March.

Later Life (Post-War): Includes post-war education, occupation, marriage(s) and/or children, location and date of death Toggle Accordion

Payne’s whereabouts between 1919-1929 are unknown; by 1930, he was working as a firefighter for the District of Columbia. Payne and his wife retired from their respective careers in the 1930s (Mrs. Payne worked as a laundress for a private family), and continued to live in the DC region for the remainder of their lives. Payne died of an unknown cause on 19 July 1946; he, his wife, and their son are buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

Excerpt from W. Allison Sweeney's History of the American Negro in the Great World War

“One of the outstanding heroes of the 372nd regiment was Sergeant Ira Payne, of 325 Fifteenth Street, Washington, D.C. He won the Croix de Guerre and the Distinguished Service Cross, and according to his comrades, ‘was not afraid of the devil himself’. His story as related by himself on his return home, follows:

During the fighting at Sechault the Germans were picking off the men of my platoon from behind a bush. They had several machine guns and kept up a deadly fire in spite of our rifle fire directed at the bush. We did our best to stop those machine guns, but the German aim became so accurate that they were picking off five of my men every minute. We couldn’t stand for that. 

Well, I decided that I would get that little machine gun nest myself, and I went after it. I left our company, detoured, and, by a piece of luck, got behind the bush. I got my rifle into action and ‘knocked off’ two of those German machine gunners. That ended it. The other Germans couldn’t stand so much excitement. The Boches surrendered and I took them into our trenches as prisoners.”

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