[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2337]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING STAFF SERGEANT RAY RANGEL'S SERVICE AND ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the exceptional 
service of Staff Sergeant Ray Rangel and the ultimate sacrifice he paid 
to the country.
  Ray Rangel had hopes of returning home this Valentine's Day. 
Unfortunately, a heroic act prevented this from happening. He was part 
of the Seventh Civil Engineering Squadron that was ordered to stay in 
Iraq. At age 29, Ray had been in Iraq since September and was proud to 
be part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  Staff Sergeant Ray Rangel's ultimate sacrifice for his country 
devastated his parents, Federico and Priscilla Rangel. He was their 
only son and he acknowledged to them that if anything ever happened to 
him while he was overseas, to remember that he was doing what he loved 
to do and, that is, helping people.
  A San Antonio native, Ray had attended South San Antonio High School 
and was a defensive back on the high school football team. He was well 
liked by all who met him. His sense of humor and his habit of cracking 
jokes earned him the nickname ``Crazy Ray'' among his teammates. After 
high school, Ray married his high school sweetheart, Selena, and 
together they had three sons and a daughter. Despite their busy 
schedules, Ray coached his oldest son's youth football team while 
Selena coached the cheerleaders for their daughter. Their three sons 
are now ages 7 to 11 and their daughter is now 5 years old.
  Federico and Cynthia remember Ray as a devoted son and father. 
Through his own example, Ray taught his children of respect, discipline 
and service. Two years ago when Cynthia had to have surgery, Ray took 
leave in order to spend time and take care of her. In his spare time he 
would often take friends and family on fishing and hunting outings.
  Growing up in a family with a history of military service, Ray 
enlisted in the Air Force soon after his high school graduation in 
1994. This year would have been his 11th year serving in the U.S. Air 
Force. Ray had considered going to college after serving out his first 
enlistment contract. However, he found the Air Force to be such a 
rewarding experience and the people so inviting that he decided to re-
enlist and serve in the Air Force as a lifelong career.
  Ray was well aware of the dangers that he would have to endure during 
his time in Iraq. He had to deal with being away from his family and 
friends. It was especially hard since Ray had to spend Thanksgiving and 
Christmas apart from his family and his wife and his young children for 
the first time. To cope with tough times, Ray would often make jokes to 
his family while he was away, saying that he was one of the lucky ones.
  A firefighter based at Dyess Air Force Base near Abilene, Texas, Ray 
lost his life trying to rescue fellow soldiers that had fallen into a 
canal while their particular Humvee flipped over. Ray's mother was told 
that her son was the first to jump in the water to help the soldiers, 
and his selflessness in this act demonstrates the best a person can be.
  Ray Rangel is the first Air Force member from South Texas killed in 
Iraq. He is also the ninth U.S. service member from the San Antonio 
area and the 42nd from South Texas killed in support of Operation Iraqi 
Freedom. Ray's parents remember that despite criticism leveled at 
President Bush over the U.S. occupation of Iraq, Rangel did not want 
his family to be bitter if he got hurt or killed. He would often remind 
his family that he loved his country and he wanted to serve the best 
that he could.
  Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to have had this time to honor Staff 
Sergeant Ray Rangel, a true hero that exemplifies the noblest qualities 
of the human spirit.

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