[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 10, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S14949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO BOBBY RAY MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow afternoon, several of my 
fellow Tennesseans will dedicate a new elementary school that honors a 
very special war hero from McMinnville. I will not be able to join them 
in this celebration but would like to take a moment to recognize the 
valor and determination of David Robert Ray and wish the students and 
faculty at Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary the very best in their new 
school.
  A hospital corpsman second class [HC2c] in the U.S. Navy, Bobby Ray 
served in South Vietnam as a Marine medic. When this country called, he 
left his home in McMinnville to help his fellow countrymen who were 
fighting a foreign people on foreign soil. His life was dedicated to 
saving others, and he always did it with commitment and courage even as 
gunshots and mortar shells blasted around him.
  On March 19, 1969, at the age of 24, Bobby Ray went above and beyond 
the call of duty. As enemy troops began a heavy assault on the Marines' 
Battery D. Ray began working on the serious and heavy casualties that 
fell from rocket and mortar blasts. As he treated a fallen marine, Ray 
himself became seriously wounded. Refusing medical help, he continued 
to provide emergency medical treatment to the other casualties. As the 
enemy drew closer, Ray was forced to battle oncoming soldiers while he 
administered medical aid. He did this until he ran out of ammunition 
and was fatally wounded. But before he died, Bobby Ray performed one 
more lifesaving act. He threw himself on the last patient he ever 
treated and saved him from an enemy grenade.
  Hospital Corpsman Second Class David Robert Ray gave his own life to 
save the lives of many others. He became an inspiration to the soldiers 
in Battery D, who went on to defeat the enemy. For this ultimate 
sacrifice, the United States awarded Ray the Medal of Honor 
posthumously.
  Tomorrow, Bobby Ray's family and hometown friends will gather in his 
honor to dedicate the Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary School. The 
students who attend this school will never know David Robert Ray--they 
are too young. But they will know of his dedication to serving his 
country and to saving the lives of others. Without ever meeting him, 
these children will know who Bobby Ray was, and hopefully, will learn 
from his incredible act of selflessness.
  So, today, Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to Bobby Ray, 
the man, the medic, the soldier, and the hero. And today, I wish to 
thank him and every American who has given the ultimate sacrifice to 
serve their country and their countrymen.

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