Francis Worth Payne was born in 1891 in Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia. He enlisted in Camp Oglethorpe, Ga. in April, 1917. He attended his first training at Camp Fort Oglethorpe ,Ga. and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, US Regular at end of camp and sent overseas as a casual with the first detachment of officers from the First Training Camps during WWI. He was Killed in Action but declared "Missing" on July 20, 1918 and is memorialized on Tablets of the Missing, Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, France. He was posthumously awared the Distinguished Service Cross.

His citation reads:
"The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant (Infantry) Francis W. Payne, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company M, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, A.E.F., while in charge of an ammunition carrying party near Soissons, France, 19 July 1918. Second Lieutenant Payne showed the highest degree of courage in taking ammunition to the front lines through artillery and machine-gun fire, and was killed while engaged in this duty.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 132 (1918)
Action Date: 19-Jul-18
Service: Army
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Company: Company M
Regiment: 26th Infantry Regiment
Division: 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces"

Source of information: www.abmc.gov, togetherweserved.com