Trump Awards Medal of Honor to Delta Force Member Who Helped Save 75 Hostages of ISIS

President Donald Trump presented the Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas “Patrick” Payne on Friday, calling him “one of the bravest men anywhere in the world” for his role in saving more than 70 hostages while killing 20 members of the Islamic State in 2015.

In a ceremony at the White House, Trump said Payne embodied “the righteous glory of American valor” and noted, “He ran right back into that raging blaze. He sliced the final lock and released the rest of the hostages. As the building began to collapse, he received orders to evacuate but he refused to do so. He didn’t want to leave anyone behind.”

The Army conducted the raid in Iraq’s city of Hawija along with Kurdish forces after learning ISIS had dug new graves at a prison compound in the area. “If we didn’t [raid] this target then these hostages would probably be executed,” Payne said in an interview with Stars & Stripes.

The 36-year-old has deployed 17 times, including for Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn and Operation Inherent Resolve. He is also the first living Delta Force member to receive a Medal of Honor.

Watch above via Fox News.