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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established |
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to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state |
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or federal military forces, and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel |
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James Edwin Ray proved himself a deserving recipient of this |
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prestigious commendation with his heroic actions during the Vietnam |
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War; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Longview in 1941, James Ray graduated with |
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honors from Conroe High School and went on to attend Texas A&M |
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University, where he graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in |
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English, the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Corps of Cadets, and |
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a commission in the U.S. Air Force through the ROTC program; and |
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WHEREAS, After earning his pilot's wings at Vance Air Force |
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Base in 1965, Lieutenant Ray trained on the F-105 Thunderchief |
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fighter-bomber at Nellis AFB and earned his first assignments as an |
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F-105 pilot with the 334th and 336th Tactical Fighter Squadrons at |
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Seymour Johnson AFB; he was deployed to Southeast Asia in April |
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1966, when he joined the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat |
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Royal Thai AFB in Thailand; he flew 10 extremely hazardous missions |
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over North Vietnam, and on his 11th mission on May 8, 1966, he was |
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forced to eject and was captured by the enemy; he spent more than |
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six years and nine months as a prisoner of war in North Vietnamese |
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prison camps, including the infamously brutal "Hanoi Hilton"; and |
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WHEREAS, During his captivity, Lieutenant Ray displayed |
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remarkable fortitude and determination in the face of torture, |
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starvation, and isolation; in spite of this treatment, he and his |
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fellow prisoners avoided mental breakdown by devising clever ways |
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to stay in touch with each other, by tapping out coded messages from |
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cell to cell, or by hiding letters in an empty toothpaste container |
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behind a brick in a wall; Lieutenant Ray and the other prisoners |
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also drew strength and encouragement from memorizing and reciting |
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verses from the Bible; and |
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WHEREAS, After the POWs were released in February 1973, this |
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brave American took time to recover in the hospital and then resumed |
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his air force career; at the rank of captain, he became an |
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instructor pilot at Holloman AFB, and after completing Air Command |
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and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, he went on to serve with the 339th |
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Fighter Squadron and the 347th Fighter Wing, at the U.S. Air Force |
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headquarters, and as air attaché to Rome; he was then commander of |
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the 3300th Technical Training Wing at Keesler AFB until his |
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retirement at the rank of colonel on December 31, 1990; and |
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WHEREAS, Colonel Ray's commendations include the Silver |
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Star, the Legion of Merit with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze |
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Star with valor device and bronze oak leaf cluster, the Purple Heart |
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with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, and |
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the Air Medal, among many others; and |
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WHEREAS, James Ray's skill and bravery as a pilot and his |
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unswerving resilience distinguish him as a warrior of peerless |
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courage and patriotism, and it is indeed appropriate that he be |
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honored with the highest military award granted by the state where |
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he was born; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to award the Texas |
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Legislative Medal of Honor to James Edwin Ray in recognition of his |
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valiant service during the Vietnam War. |