[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13833-13834]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING LIEUTENANT COLONEL RONALD ERIC RAY

  (Mr. BILIRAKIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the heroic efforts 
of Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Eric Ray of the United States Army. 
Lieutenant Colonel Ray, who lives in Tarpon Springs, Florida, was a 
platoon leader in the 25th Infantry Division and was awarded the Medal 
of Honor for profound bravery in action on June 19, 1969, in Vietnam.
  When one of his patrol teams was ambushed, Lieutenant Colonel Ray set 
up a defensive perimeter while eliminating multiple Vietcong positions 
with grenades and rifle fire. Lieutenant Colonel Ray then began 
directing air and medical support into the area. When a grenade fell 
between two of his men, he threw himself upon it, shielding them from 
the blast, but sustaining multiple shrapnel wounds himself. Though 
wounded, Lieutenant Colonel Ray remained on the field and provided 
effective fire support until the last of his men were safely extracted.

[[Page 13834]]

  It is for his courage and commitment to his men that I am proud to 
honor and remember the actions of Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Eric Ray.

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