Lieutenant Colonel Dan Payne was commissioned as an Infantry Officer upon graduation of Officer Candidate School Class 05-70 at Fort Benning, Georgia.  His first duty assignment was at Fort Benning, Georgia as a tactical officer and assistant operations officer in the Officer Candidate School Battalion.  After nearly three years, he was released from the Army and returned home to attend the Seminary. He returned to the Army in 1986 to attend the Chaplain Officer Basic Course.

His subsequent duty assignments include: Battalion Chaplain, 307^th Signal Battalion, Camp Carroll, South Korea; Squadron Chaplain, Fort Stewart, Georgia; Battalion Chaplain, 1^st Battalion, 501^st Aviation Regiment, Camp Coiner, South Korea; Brigade Chaplain, 59^th Ordnance Brigade, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Command Chaplain, US Army Forces Central, Camp Doha, Kuwait; Brigade Chaplain, Basic Training Brigade, Fort Benning, Georgia; and Brigade Chaplain, 8th Personnel Command, Camp Coiner, South Korea.

Following his Army career, he continued his service to the nation through the National Parks Service for 10 years, both as a volunteer and as a paid seasonal ranger.

His military education includes: Chaplain Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms Services and Staff School, Command and General Staff College, and the Division Chaplain Course.

LTC Payne's highest military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.