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SSG (ret) Timothy Payne enlisted in the US Army October 2002 as an Infantry candidate. After Completing Infantry School, Airborne School and attended Ranger Indoctrination Program he went to the 82nd Airborne Division were he received his expert infantryman’s badge and deployed to Baghdad Iraq twice  

Later he was assigned to detailed corporal recruiting at the Syracuse Recruiting Battalion, while assigned he was among the top 10% of all recruiters in New York fiscal year 2007 and received the coveted Gold recruiter ring as well as being promoted meritoriously to Staff Sergeant. After Recruiting Staff Sergeant Payne attended SFAS (Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course) while assigned to the 173rd Airborne Division, he was injured as a result of training and reassigned to the Southern European Task Force working Personnel Recovery for the United States Army Africa Command. He was selected for Army Civil Affairs but was later reassigned to the 10th Mountain Infantry Division and deployed to Southern Afghanistan.

On July 3rd 2011 he was tasked to clear out dead space, thirty minutes into the patrol his unit was attacked with an IED which resulted in the loss of both his legs and severely damaging his left arm. As a result of the attack SSG Payne receive approximately 120 surgeries, 100 blood transfusions and a shattered mind set. He fell back onto the values he learned as a Private;  the values have an acronym L.D.R.S.H.I.P. and he took it to the extreme conquering smoking, medication addiction, depression and suicide. He had a near death experience and experienced things which pushes him to do the best of his ability.

Three years after Injury he retired, wrote his story and shares it with whoever is willing to listen. The book that Tim self-published is called "The Squad Leader's Bargain" and is avaialable on lulu.com.