Surrounded in Ia Drang: LTC Ronald E. Ray

Lieutenant Ronald E. Ray was deployed as a platoon leader in the Ia Drang Valley, right on the Cambodian border. After one of his patrols was surrounded by the enemy, Ray took nearly all of his men to rescue them. They successfully broke through enemy lines to reach their allies, where they took fire from all sides. Ray directed their defense while single handedly taking out multiple enemies and machine gun nests, in addition to using his body to protect two of his allies from a grenade explosion. Ray and his team weathered the storm, and Ray only agreed to be evac’ed after all of his men had reached safety.