David R . Ray David Robert " Bobby " Ray ( February 14 , 1945 to March 19 , 1969 ) was a United States Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class who was killed in action during the Vietnam War while assigned to an artillery battery of the United States Marine Corps . He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously , for his heroic actions on March 19 , 1969 . Biography . Ray was born on February 14 , 1945 to David F . and Donnie M . Ray of McMinnville , Tennessee . He graduated from City High School in McMinnville in 1963 . He was a University of Tennessee Alumni Scholarship winner and attended classes at the Knoxville campus from 1963 to 1966 . U . S . Navy . Ray enlisted in the U . S . Navy in Nashville , Tennessee on March 28 , 1966 and reported to Recruit Training Command , Naval Training Center , San Diego , California . Afterwards , he attended the former Naval Hospital Corps School in San Diego and became a hospital corpsman . His first assignment as a corpsman was aboard the . Following his tour on the hospital ship , he served at the former U . S . Naval Hospital in Long Beach , California . Vietnam . In May 1968 , David Ray requested a tour of duty with the Fleet Marine Force and was sent to Camp Pendleton for battlefield training as a corpsman . On July 12 , he was sent to Vietnam and assigned to Battery D , 2nd Battalion , 11th Marine Regiment , 1st Marine Division ( Reinforced ) , located at An Hoa , South Vietnam . Death . In the early morning of March 19 , 1969 , Fire Support Base Phu Loc 6 , adjacent to Liberty Bridge near An Hoa in Quang Nam province , was attacked by an estimated battalion of North Vietnamese soldiers . Ray moved from parapet to parapet during the attack rendering medical aid to the wounded Marines . While doing this he was seriously wounded and then had to confront two enemy soldiers attacking his position , killing one and wounding another . He refused the aid he needed and advanced through the hail of enemy fire to continue his lifesaving efforts . Navy corpsman Ray ' s final act of heroism was to protect a Marine he was treating after he had ran out of ammunition holding back the enemy . He placed himself upon the wounded Marine after he seen a grenade land near them . By doing so , he saved the Marine ' s life and lost his own when it exploded . In addition to Ray , eleven Marines from his unit died in the attack and two Marines and one Navy corpsman were also killed nearby at the 1st Battalion , 5th Marines command post . Burial . He was unmarried . His body was returned to the United States and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery McMinnville , Tennessee . Military decorations & awards . David R . Ray received the Medal of Honor posthumously . His father was presented the Medal of Honor on his son ' s behalf in a White House ceremony . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Hospital Corpsman Second Class , U . S . Navy , 2d Battalion , 11th Marines , 1st Marine Division ( Rein ) , FMF . Place and date : Quang Nam Province , Republic of Vietnam , March 19 , 1969 . Entered service at : Nashville , Tenn . Born : February 14 , 1945 , McMinnville , Tenn . Citation . For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a HM2 with Battery D , 2d Battalion , at Phu Loc 6 , near An Hoa . During the early morning hours , an estimated battalion - sized enemy force launched a determined assault against the battery ' s position , and succeeded in effecting a penetration of the barbed - wire perimeter . The initial burst of enemy fire caused numerous casualties among the marines who had immediately manned their howitzers during the rocket and mortar attack . Undaunted by the intense hostile fire , HM2 Ray moved from parapet to parapet , rendering emergency medical treatment to the wounded . Although seriously wounded himself while administering first aid to a marine casualty , he refused medical aid and continued his lifesaving efforts . While he was bandaging and attempting to comfort another wounded marine , HM2 Ray was forced to battle two enemy soldiers who attacked his position , personally killing one and wounding the other . Rapidly losing his strength as a result of his severe wounds , he nonetheless managed to move through the hail of enemy fire to other casualties . Once again , he was faced with the intense fire of oncoming enemy troops and , despite the grave personal danger and insurmountable odds , succeeded in treating the wounded and holding off the enemy until he ran out of ammunition , at which time he sustained fatal wounds . HM2 Ray ' s final act of heroism was to protect the patient he was treating . He threw himself upon the wounded marine , thus saving the man ' s life when an enemy grenade exploded nearby . By his determined and persevering actions , courageous spirit , and selfless devotion to the welfare of his marine comrades , HM2 Ray served to inspire the men of Battery D to heroic efforts in defeating the enemy . His conduct throughout was in keeping with the finest traditions of the U . S . Naval Service . Vietnam Veterans Memorial . His name appears on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall at panel 29W , row 082 in Washington , D . C .