87R24355 JGH-D
By: Dean H.C.R. No. 105
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state
or federal military forces, and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel
James Edwin Ray proved himself a deserving recipient of this
prestigious commendation with his heroic actions during the Vietnam
War; and
WHEREAS, Born in Longview in 1941, James Ray graduated with
honors from Conroe High School and went on to attend Texas A&M
University, where he graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in
English, the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Corps of Cadets, and
a commission in the U.S. Air Force through the ROTC program; and
WHEREAS, After earning his pilot's wings at Vance Air Force
Base in 1965, Lieutenant Ray trained on the F-105 Thunderchief
fighter-bomber at Nellis AFB and earned his first assignments as an
F-105 pilot with the 334th and 336th Tactical Fighter Squadrons at
Seymour Johnson AFB; he was deployed to Southeast Asia in April
1966, when he joined the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat
Royal Thai AFB in Thailand; he flew 10 extremely hazardous missions
over North Vietnam, and on his 11th mission on May 8, 1966, he was
forced to eject and was captured by the enemy; he spent more than
six years and nine months as a prisoner of war in North Vietnamese
prison camps, including the infamously brutal "Hanoi Hilton"; and
WHEREAS, During his captivity, Lieutenant Ray displayed
remarkable fortitude and determination in the face of torture,
starvation, and isolation; in spite of this treatment, he and his
fellow prisoners avoided mental breakdown by devising clever ways
to stay in touch with each other, by tapping out coded messages from
cell to cell, or by hiding letters in an empty toothpaste container
behind a brick in a wall; Lieutenant Ray and the other prisoners
also drew strength and encouragement from memorizing and reciting
verses from the Bible; and
WHEREAS, After the POWs were released in February 1973, this
brave American took time to recover in the hospital and then resumed
his air force career; at the rank of captain, he became an
instructor pilot at Holloman AFB, and after completing Air Command
and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, he went on to serve with the 339th
Fighter Squadron and the 347th Fighter Wing, at the U.S. Air Force
headquarters, and as air attaché to Rome; he was then commander of
the 3300th Technical Training Wing at Keesler AFB until his
retirement at the rank of colonel on December 31, 1990; and
WHEREAS, Colonel Ray's commendations include the Silver
Star, the Legion of Merit with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze
Star with valor device and bronze oak leaf cluster, the Purple Heart
with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, and
the Air Medal, among many others; and
WHEREAS, James Ray's skill and bravery as a pilot and his
unswerving resilience distinguish him as a warrior of peerless
courage and patriotism, and it is indeed appropriate that he be
honored with the highest military award granted by the state where
he was born; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to award the Texas
Legislative Medal of Honor to James Edwin Ray in recognition of his
valiant service during the Vietnam War.