[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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              REMEMBERING TECHNICAL SERGEANT RALPH H. RAY

 Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise to recognize Technical 
Sergeant Ralph H. Ray, who was a dedicated West Virginia serviceman in 
our U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. T SGT Ralph H. Ray is 
being honored by the renaming of a bridge on U.S. Route 60 that spans 
the Greenbrier River in his native Greenbrier County, WV.
  T SGT Ralph H. Ray graduated from Frankford High School at the age of 
17 in 1940. He left his home in West Virginia to complete his enlisted 
physical for the U.S. Army Corps on January 7, 1943, and subsequently 
earned the rank of technical sergeant. He earned his airplane mechanic 
diploma at the Ford Factory in Michigan the spring of 1943 and then 
completed gunnery school in Laredo, TX.
  During his service, T SGT Ralph H. Ray was assigned to a top-notch 
flight crew with whom he trained for 3 months. He and his crew traveled 
to Trinidad, Brazil, Africa, Morocco, and Wales before reaching the 
Tibenham Base in East England. While serving as a flight engineer 
during World War II, he and his crew flew 30 successful missions before 
returning to the United States and spending the last 10 months of his 
enlistment at the Air Transport Corps in Miami, FL. This dedicated and 
diverse military service is certainly worthy of admiration.
  After his release from the U.S. Army Air Corps, T SGT Ralph H. Ray 
worked as an airplane mechanic for Bollinger Airport in Davis Creek, 
WV, and while there, he earned his civilian pilot's license. T SGT 
Ralph H. Ray began working as a chemical technician for Westvaco in 
South Charleston, WV, in 1948. He married his wife Mary Madeline Hudson 
on April 16, 1948, and established a beautiful and loving family with 
four daughters: Valerie Ann Lyons, Angela Sue Ray, Verna Ray-Breaux, 
and Anita Ray-Kirk.
  T SGT Ralph H. Ray retired in 1984 and passed away on August 8, 2019. 
It is fitting that an enduring monument will be established to 
commemorate Technical Sergeant Ray and his contributions to our State 
and our country. As resolved by legislature of West Virginia, the 
locally known Caldwell Bridge, will henceforth be named the ``U.S. Army 
Air Corps T SGT Ralph H. Ray Memorial Bridge.'' I hope it provokes 
thought and appreciation for all of our military heroes and may the 
bridge be an enduring reminder of the life of dedicated serviceman, 
husband, father, and lifelong West Virginian.

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