Four of his former military colleagues have named their first-born sons for U.S. Marine Cpl. Ronald R. Payne Jr.
The late Payne’s father, Ronnie Payne, proudly revealed that detail Friday afternoon as he stood outside the Lakeland Southside U.S. Post Office facility. One of the four namesakes, Payne said, was in attendance.
They and others gathered for the official dedication of the postal facility for Ronald Payne, 19 years after he died at age 23 in a firefight near Tawara, Afghanistan. At the end of the solemn ceremony, U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland, and Robert Gaskin, a customer relations manager for the U.S. Postal Service, lifted the covering from a black plaque that will be posted at the facility saying that it is named in Payne’s honor.
“This is a very small token,” Franklin said in his brief address to an audience of more than 100. “It doesn’t in any way really honor the full value of the sacrifice that he made. But it’s my sincere hope that when people come to this Post Office and they look at this plaque, it’ll make them pause and think for a minute first, maybe, ‘Who was Ron Payne?’ Or maybe young boys and girls will look at that and ask their parents, and people will want to know the story.”
President Joe Biden signed a bill in December sponsored by Franklin directing that the building at 6000 S. Florida Ave. be named for Payne. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, sponsored the Senate version.
Payne graduated in 1999 from Mulberry High School, where the 6-foot-7 student played on the football and basketball teams. Gregory Robinson Sr., a retired Navy officer who gave the invocation, referred to Payne as “a gentle giant.”
Payne enlisted in the Marine Corps following the 9/11 attacks and was deployed in 2003 to Iraq with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. His unit earned a Presidential Citation for their performance in a 12-hour battle with members of Iraq’s Republican Guard, Ronnie Payne said Friday.
While home from that tour, Ron Payne spoke to his parents about his future. He knew that his battalion would soon deploy to Afghanistan.
“Ron could have taken embassy duty, recruiter duty, or taught the scouts out of a school in California,” said Payne, who himself spent six years in the Marine Corps. “But Ron said, ‘I’m going back into combat, Dad. I can’t see these younger Marines going without any experienced combat leadership.’ That’s the kind of man Ron was.”
U.S. Marine Col. John Kinitz, who traveled from North Carolina to attend Friday’s ceremony, served as Payne’s commander in Afghanistan. Kinitz said that non-commissioned officers, such as Payne, are “the backbone of the Corps.”
“Ron truly exemplified what it meant to be a Marine NCO every day,” Kinitz said. “His personal example inspired so many that I’ve heard from, from this community, as I’ve gotten to know the Payne family over the years, to go forward and serve this nation.”
Kinitz said that Payne focused his attention on younger and less experienced Marines, always making sure they were prepared for assignments. He said Payne often brought fellow Marines home to visit with his family over long weekends.
Kinitz recalled May 7, 2004, the final time Payne joined his battalion on a mission. He said Payne listened intensely as Kinitz and a platoon sergeant outlined the planned patrol and then took time to advise some of the newer members of the unit.
The elder Payne described what happened when a firefight ensued with Taliban warriors. He said Staff Sgt. Jason Thompson, who was leading the mission, was severely wounded by fire from a Taliban fighter at close range, and Payne fired to kill the Taliban member.
Payne then recognized that enemy troops on a ridgeline were trying to finish off Thompson.
“So Ron exposed his position and started laying down cover fire to divert their attention,” Ronnie Payne said. “During the diversion, the staff sergeant was able to call for cover, but Ron was hit during an exchange and died a few minutes into the fight.”
Payne received a posthumous Bronze Star with Valor, Franklin’s office said.
The elder Payne recalled that his son spoke at their Mulberry church before his deployment to Afghanistan. He talked of fellow Marines who had died in Iraq.
“He was standing behind the pulpit, and he said, ‘Everyone over there gave something, but there are some people who gave everything, and those are the heroes,'” Ronnie Payne said. “Every day, when you wake up, just think of the cost of freedom because it’s paid in blood.’ And almost a year to the day later, our son’s casket would be in front of the pulpit that he spoke from.”
Payne faltered on those final words, his previous composure finally giving way to emotion.
Family members seated at the front of a covering included Payne’s mother, Kathy Seymour; his stepmother, Aileen Payne; his brother and one of his sisters; and nieces and nephews. Florida Rep. Jennifer Canady, Polk County Commissioner Neil Combee, and former Lakeland City Commissioner Don Selvage were also in attendance.
Ronnie Payne said that Ron’s sister, Rachel, had opened a center in honor of her late brother. Rachel counsels veterans with PTSD, her father said.
Franklin, a retired Navy pilot, recalled enlisting in 1982, a time of peace. He said the situation was much different for Payne, who signed up during overseas military actions.
“You always hear the story of those who run into the fire,” Franklin said. “Cpl. Payne was truly one of those who ran into the fire.”