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MAJ Mark E Cooper
to remember
Payne, Paul Charles, Sr., SGM.
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FAYETTEVILLE - Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Paul Charles Payne was born on March 11, 1928, in Wilmington Del. He passed away peacefully in Fayetteville, Monday, June 16, 2014, surrounded by his family.
Paul lived an active and storied life for 86 years. He joined the Navy in 1943 and saw action while serving on the USS Wisconsin and LST-450 during the capture and occupation of Saipan in June 1944 (Marianas Operation) in the Pacific during World War II. Gunner's Mate Second Class Payne left the U.S. Navy and joined the U.S. Army in 1950.
After serving in the 82nd Airborne Division, 319th Field Artillery, he joined the U.S. Army Special Forces. Paul, one of the first Green Berets - Number D-92, served throughout the Special Operations community to include tours with all but two active Special Forces Groups from 1954 to 1967 and was an original member of 10th Special Forces Group. Paul attained the rank of sergeant major. He saw action in Vietnam with Special Forces, notably serving as the senior noncommissioned officer of Project Delta. Sgt. Maj. Payne served in Special Forces until his honorable retirement in December of 1967.
During his career in the U.S. military, Paul earned a number of distinguished awards to include the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge 2nd Award. He was an accomplished parachutist earning his master rating and an avid student, mastering foreign languages such as Russian, German and Thai. Paul continued to serve his country in the employ of the Central Intelligence Agency until 1994, for a total of 50 years active federal service.
Paul was best known for his devotion to his family, country and friends. He was uncommonly bright and witty and, with an ever present twinkle in his eye, always managed the right sentiment for any occasion.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Allen Payne and Margaret Cox Payne; stepmother, Lillian C. Payne; and a brother, Fred Payne.
Paul married the love of his life, the former Kathryn Todd, June 12, 1948, in St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Delaware, and for the next 66 years they built a life revolving around service and family.
Paul is survived by his wife Kathryn Todd Payne of Fayetteville; son, Paul Payne Jr. and wife Wendy of Fayetteville; daughters, Cheryl Morrison of Fayetteville, Kathy Payne-Davis and husband Sonny of Whittier, Janet Papazis and husband James of Williamsburg, Va., and Mary Mentzer and husband Keith of Fayetteville; sister, Joann Regan and husband Michael of Bellmawr, N.J.; six grandchildren, Jennifer, Michael, Chip, Misty, Charlie and Jamie; and 13 great-grandchildren.
A funeral service with full military honors will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, June 21, 2014, in Rogers and Breece Funeral Home chapel with a reception to follow. The family will receive friends from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., Saturday prior to the service at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to: the Wounded Warrior Project, woundedwarriorproject.org, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256, CFC No. 11425; or the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, specialops.org, PO Box 89367, Tampa, FL 33689; or the charity of your choice.
Arrangements entrusted to Rogers and Breece Funeral Home of Fayetteville.
Operation White Star
From Month/Year
April / 1959
To Month/Year
April / 1962
Description Operation White Star (also known as Project White Star) was the code name for a United States military advisory mission to Laos during the first years of the Second Indochina War, which would eventually become known in the United States as the Vietnam War. The purpose was to train the Royal Laotian Army as well as indigenous Hmong, and Yao tribesmen to fight the Pathet Lao communist insurgency. This was later extended to include combat against the North Vietnamese Army, which was increasingly using Laos as a staging, transit and resupply area for its operations in South Vietnam.
White Star began in 1959 as "Operation Hotfoot" with the deployment of 107 United States Army Special Forces soldiers (Green Berets) of the 77th Special Forces Group —later named the 7th SFG in May 1960—under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons. Because Laos was ostensibly a neutral party to the conflict between the United States and North Vietnam, the soldiers did not wear United States Army uniforms.
In 1961, however, the United States lent full and open support to the Vientiane government and the program was renamed "Operation White Star" with U.S. soldiers openly wearing their uniforms. Operation White Star formally ended in July 1962 when Laotian neutrality was officially established. Counterinsurgency efforts were then managed covertly by the Central Intelligence Agency.
