Payton Alexander Onco was born in Lawton, Oklahoma. After graduating from Lawton High School in 2011, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, completing training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) in San Diego, CA, and Fort Lee, VA. Out of training, he was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Lejeune, NC.
Onco deployed to Afghanistan on May 15, 2012. A month into his mission, his MRAP armored truck was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), causing injuries to two of his fellow Marines. During his service, Onco received many awards, including a Purple Heart, a Sea Service Deployment ribbon and a Combat Action Ribbon. He was honorably discharged in June 2015 at the rank of corporal.
Onco’s life is deeply intertwined with his Native American roots. A proud member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, he actively participates in cultural traditions. He takes part in the Kiowa Gourd Clan ceremony, and has been inducted into the Ton-kon-gah (Kiowa Black Leggings) Warrior Society. This connection is not just a personal journey for Onco, as his family members have also been avid supporters of various Veteran support organizations.
Today, Onco resides in South Carolina and works at Bridgestone.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran for Honoring Veterans
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
A portion of this story was generated by AI. None of the data we reported included personal or sensitive information, and it was fact-checked and edited by a human copy editor prior to publishing.
Prompt Engineer: Robert Bagley
Writer: Tayler Rairigh
Editors: Ethan Oleson, Lillian Williams
Researcher: Raphael Romea
Graphic Designer: Kiki Kelley
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