Charles A . Ray Charles Aaron Ray ( born 1945 ) finished his 50 - year career of public service in 2012 as the U . S . Ambassador to Zimbabwe . He is a former Foreign Service Officer and career member of the Senior Foreign Service who held the position of U . S . Ambassador twice , and retired with the rank of Minister - Counselor . He is also a retired U . S . Army officer who was decorated twice for his actions in combat during the Vietnam War , and later served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW / Missing Personnel Affairs . Early life , education , and military service . Born in Center , Texas , Ray earned his Bachelor ' s degree from Benedictine College in 1972 , his Master of Science from the University of Southern California , and his second Master of Science from the National Defense University . Ray joined the United States Army in 1962 and retired 20 years later with the rank of major . During his time with the Army , he served in Vietnam ( 1968 – 1969 , 1972 – 1973 ) , Germany , Okinawa , and South Korea . In the course of his 20 - year Army career , he earned two Bronze Star s and an Armed Forces Humanitarian Service Medal . Early diplomatic career . After retiring from the Army in 1982 , Ray went to work for the U . S . State Department . During his tenure at the State Department , he served as deputy chief of mission at the U . S . Embassy in Freetown , Sierra Leone , in the State Department ' s Bureau of Political - Military Affairs , and at the U . S . Consulate General Offices in Guangzhou and Shenyang , China . In 1998 , he became the first U . S . Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam . Ambassador to Cambodia . President George W . Bush appointed Ray Ambassador to Cambodia in November 2002 . Ray arrived in Phnom Penh on January 4 , 2003 , and served there until July 2005 . Return to Texas . After serving in Cambodia , Ray returned to Texas to become diplomat - in - residence at the University of Houston , where he recruited students to serve in the State Department and the Foreign Service . In that capacity , he was also responsible for community affairs and outreach with high schools and civic groups . Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense . In September 2006 , President Bush appointed Ray as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW / Missing Personnel Affairs . He reported to Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates on administrative and policy matters relating to missing personnel . He was also responsible for creating policies and procedures for determining the status of all Americans missing in action , including rescuing all Americans endangered by combat operations . Ambassador to Zimbabwe . President Barack Obama nominated Ray as U . S . Ambassador to Zimbabwe on August 5 , 2009 . He was confirmed by the U . S . Senate and sworn into office on October 20 , 2009 . He arrived at his post in Harare on December 9 , 2009 . His assignment in Harare ended in summer 2012 . He returned to the United States , and on September 1 , 2012 , retired from public service . Author . In June 2008 , Ray ' s first book , " Things I Learned From My Grandmother About Leadership and Life " , was published . His second book , " Taking Charge : Effective Leadership for the Twenty - First Century " , was published in March 2009 . He has also authored a number of works of fiction . Personal . Ray is married and has four children .