Gulf War Veteran Wins Navy Cross
A Marine officer who heroically defended the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Division Command Post against an attack by superior Iraqi forces Feb. 25 was awarded the Navy Cross in a ceremony Thursday at Twentynine Palms.
Capt. Eddie Ray, whose hometown is Los Angeles, received the nation’s second-highest military decoration--the highest is the Medal of Honor--from Lt. Gen. Royal Moore, commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, as 1,400 Marines in formation looked on.
During an intense 10-hour battle, Ray exposed himself to heavy enemy fire while engaging his light armored vehicle company in attacks against a much larger enemy force.
The combat, during which 50 enemy armored personnel carriers were destroyed and 250 Iraqis were taken prisoner, occurred west of the Burqan oil field in southeast Kuwait.
Ray, who was assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Infantry Battalion, 1st Marine Division, received one of only two Navy Crosses bestowed on Navy and Marine personnel for actions during the Gulf War.
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