Second Lieutenant (Air Corps) Charles P. Ray (ASN: 0-680508), United States Army Air Forces, was captured after the loss of his aircraft on 29 January 1944, and was interned as a Prisoner of War until the end of hostilities in May 1945.
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Second Lieutenant (Air Corps) Charles P. Ray (ASN: 0-680508), United States Army Air Forces, was captured after the loss of his aircraft on 29 January 1944, and was interned as a Prisoner of War until the end of hostilities in May 1945.
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The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Second Lieutenant (Air Corps) Charles Payton Ray (ASN: 0-680508), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in action with the enemy on 5 November 1943. On this date, Lieutenant Ray was serving as Co-Pilot of a B-17 airplane, 339th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy), EIGHTH Air Force, on a bombing mission against military installations at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Shortly before starting the bombing run, the airplane was hit by anti-aircraft fire which stopped number two engine. The pilot was hit by shell fragments which rendered him helpless and caused him to slump forward over the controls, and Lieutenant Ray received a serious leg wound. Faced with the almost impossible task of holding the unconscious pilot away from the controls with one hand and flying the badly damaged bomber with the other, he kept formation until the bombs were dropped and the return flight began. Early in the return flight number four engine was lost and number three engine began losing power. Without regard for his painful wound and displaying exceptional flying skill Lieutenant Ray kept the airplane under control and coolly directed that all loose equipment be jettisoned to assist in maintaining altitude. At the first field sighted after crossing the English Channel, Lieutenant Ray moved into the traffic pattern for a landing. The Fortress which he was following crashed on the runway directly in front of him. Since Lieutenant Ray’s plane did not have sufficient power to regain altitude, a crash seemed inevitable. With an almost super-human effort Lieutenant Ray managed to avoid the crashed airplane and make a safe landing. The heroism, determination, and devotion to duty displayed by Lieutenant Ray upon this occasion reflect highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.