(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: Lieutenant Ernest W. Payne, United States Coast Guard, was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroic and courageous conduct while serving as executive officer of a Coast Guard cutter of the U.S. Atlantic fleet during fire fighting operations on 25 October 1944. As officer in charge of a fire fighting party he remained below decks in an extremely dangerous area until fires were extinguished and the gravely imperiled ship save from destruction. Although the in tense heat of the flames and noxious smoke fumes spread through tout the ship. Lieutenant Payne remained at his station below decks directing fire fighting measures until overcome by the heat and fumes. Upon recovering and realizing that the safety of his own ship and of the disabled ship in tow depended upon the extinguishing of the fires, Lieutenant Payne resolutely reentered the fired compartment and resumed the direction of the fire fighting operations until the blaze was extinguished.