Ronald E . Ray Ronald Eric Ray ( born December 7 , 1941 ) is a former United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in the Vietnam War . Early life and career . Born in Cordele , Georgia , on December 7 , 1941 ( the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor ) , Ray was one of five brothers . He left high school in 1959 and joined the Army from Atlanta for a three - year term of service . Only two months after finishing his enlistment , he rejoined the Army as a Special Forces soldier . Ray excelled in his training , such as that for HALO jump ing , and was selected for Officer Candidate School . Upon graduation he became a commissioned officer . Vietnam War . Sent to Vietnam in early June 1966 as a first lieutenant , Ray led a platoon in Company A of the 2nd Battalion , 35th Infantry Regiment , 25th Infantry Division . Shortly after Ray ' s arrival in the country , his company took part in an operation in the Ia Drang Valley to cut off North Vietnamese Army ( NVA ) forces entering Vietnam from Cambodia . Ray set up a command post on a small hill , then established listening post s throughout the large area his platoon was tasked with covering . On June 19 , one of these listening posts came under intense fire from a company - sized NVA force and was cut off from the rest of the platoon . After learning that no reinforcements were available from his company commander , Ray gathered the rest of his platoon and set off through one mile ( 1 . 6 km ) of dense jungle to rescue the ten men in the besieged post . With his soldiers firing in " small , frequent bursts " to make themselves appear like a larger force , the unit was able to break through and join the trapped men . Ray directed his soldiers in the defense of their post as the NVA force regrouped and resumed the attack . When a squad sent out to destroy a hostile machine gun nest became pinned down , Ray stormed the emplacement himself , killing the four gunners with his grenades and shotgun . He then rescued a medic and a wounded man who had come under intense fire by silencing the hostile position with a grenade . As an NVA grenade landed near two of his soldiers , Ray shielded them with his body , suffering shrapnel wounds to his legs and feet . Immediately after , he was shot in the legs by a machine gun , which he then destroyed with his last grenade . Although his lower body was momentarily paralyzed by his injuries , Ray continued to lead the platoon until a lull in the fighting allowed them to withdraw . He intended to stay behind and provide covering fire , but his sergeant carried him to the extraction point after the rest of the unit had escaped . Ray was evacuated to Pleiku and then Fort Bragg , North Carolina , where he received medical treatment for the next six months . He was promoted to captain and by 1970 was stationed at Fort Benning , Georgia . On May 14 , 1970 , President Richard Nixon formally presented Ray with the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Ia Drang Valley . Ray retired from the Army for medical reasons in 1980 as a lieutenant colonel , having served a total of three tours in Vietnam . Civilian life . While still in the Army , Ray graduated from the University of Tampa and received a master ' s degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma . After leaving the military , he settled in Florida and established a career as a real estate broker . He founded Ronald E . Ray , Inc . , a real estate development and brokerage company . Through the White House Fellows program , Ray served as a special assistant to the U . S . Secretary of Commerce from 1974 to 1975 . He supported the Republican Party , and worked on the successful presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and George H . W . Bush in 1984 and 1988 , respectively . In 1989 , President Bush appointed him as an assistant secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs , a position Ray would hold until 1993 . Ray is a former president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society . Medal of Honor citation . Ray ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . Capt . Ray distinguished himself while serving as a platoon leader with Company A . When 1 of his ambush patrols was attacked by an estimated reinforced Viet Cong company , Capt . Ray organized a reaction force and quickly moved through 2 kilometers of mountainous jungle terrain to the contact area . After breaking through the hostile lines to reach the beleaguered patrol , Capt . Ray began directing the reinforcement of the site . When an enemy position pinned down 3 of his men with a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire , he silenced the emplacement with a grenade and killed 4 Viet Cong with his rifle fire . As medics were moving a casualty toward a sheltered position , they began receiving intense hostile fire . While directing suppressive fire on the enemy position , Capt . Ray moved close enough to silence the enemy with a grenade . A few moments later Capt . Ray saw an enemy grenade land , unnoticed , near 2 of his men . Without hesitation or regard for his safety he dove between the grenade and the men , thus shielding them from the explosion while receiving wounds in his exposed feet and legs . He immediately sustained additional wounds in his legs from an enemy machinegun , but nevertheless he silenced the emplacement with another grenade . Although suffering great pain from his wounds , Capt . Ray continued to direct his men , providing the outstanding courage and leadership they vitally needed , and prevented their annihilation by successfully leading them from their surrounded position . Only after assuring that his platoon was no longer in immediate danger did he allow himself to be evacuated for medical treatment . By his gallantry at the risk of his life in the highest traditions of the military service , Capt . Ray has reflected great credit on himself , his unit , and the U . S . Army .