Colonel Ronald Dudley Ray

Colonel Ronald Dudley Ray
Crestwood
Colonel Ronald Dudley Ray, USMC, passed into eternity July 6, 2020. Colonel Ray exemplified the dichotomy of the warrior mindset as well as the guardian mindset. As a young Captain in South Vietnam, Ron Ray was an advisor to the South Vietnamese Marine Corps (embedded with the South Vietnamese Marines similarly to a TFO) during the Tet Offensive and other campaigns where he was twice awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry, a Bronze Star with V device and a Purple Heart. In the Vietnam era, he stands alongside a very few elite Marines, all highly decorated brave men who heard and understood their country's call.
The Colonel's service began in March 1967, but 1968 was a brutal year in Vietnam where more than 16,000 US Service members were killed. The Tet Offensive described as a loss, though a military victory and then the massacre at My Lai occurred in March of that year and would mark a change in the United States where riots were occurring and returning US servicemen were assaulted and disdained by a loud minority. No longer would our troops be comfortable in public wearing a uniform earned in sweat and ribbons earned in blood, or even a haircut which could suggest service. We have all heard about that generation and the uncertainty of the era, but what does someone who has incredible and unique experience do when it seems the whole world hates them? Ron Ray, who would never again call in artillery or fire a shot in anger, began a work as a guardian to serve his fellow veterans. Graduating from UL law at the top of his class, Ron Ray would be an advocate for those without a voice. Among other acts of service he was appointed by President Reagan to represent Kentucky in the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program. The goal was to help Veterans return home with dignity, to dispel myths about Vietnam Veterans, and to shed light on their heroism in country and successes they achieved at home. In 1984, Colonel Ray was appointed the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Guard/Reserve) in Washington, D.C.
After returning home from Washington, D.C., in 1988, Colonel Ray, founded and served as the first chairman of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund, the effort raised over one million in private donations to build a memorial in Frankfort, Kentucky. Today you can visit the memorial which is a sundial, a shadow is cast on the name of KIA Kentucky veteran on the day of their death every year. With the concept in mind and very limited computing power available, the architect Helm Roberts could not know if it would work until it was finished. Colonel Ray continued throughout his life to speak into the lives of veterans, young and old. His guardian mindset was always apparent as a Veteran in need of anything was his highest priority.
In his prime, Colonel Ray left the business of law to practice a unique blend of law and history from his farm on a Kentucky hillside. He wrote and spoke on Constitutional issues, as well as current and public affairs while amassing a collection of 10,000 books for which there is an effort to establish The Ronald D. Ray Library of American History in Oldham County, Kentucky. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy are requested for The Ronald D. Ray Library of American History at www.colronray.com