The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier’s Medal to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Raymond E. Shumway (ASN: 0-677144), United States Army Air Forces, for heroism at sea, off the coast of Japan on 28, 29 and 30 July 1945, while serving with the 680th Bombardment Squadron, 504th Bombardment Group, TWENTIETH Air Force. Five hours before daylight on the morning of 28 July, while participating in a mining mission against the Japanese Empire, Lieutenant Shumway, the Airplane Commander of a B-29 aircraft, and his crew were forced to bail out. When he hit the water he boarded a one-man life raft. A few minutes later his attention was attracted by the shouts of another crew member. After considerable difficulty in the thirty foot swells he eventually located the crew member who was equipped with only a life vest. The crew member held on to the one-man dinghy for some time and then, due to extreme fatigue and near drowning, lost consciousness. Lieutenant Shumway pulled the upper part of the man’s body on board the dinghy and held his head out of the water throughout the remainder of the night. They were repeatedly attacked by sharks which he drove off by firing his .45 automatic ahead of them. The most aggressive attack was a run at the feet of the crew member which were trailing in the water. Lieutenant Shumway expended seventeen rounds of ammunition in this fashion. On the second night a severe storm was encountered and the dinghy was capsized. Lieutenant Shumway shared his one man life raft for a total of forty-three hours before they were picked up by a Navy plane. His courage, sacrifice, and loyalty were responsible for the saving of a comrade’s life and is in keeping with the best traditions of the military service.