Four Sons

Roger.
Charles.
Maynard.
Marlowe.

Those were my Grandma and Grandpa Ray's four sons. I don't remember my Grandma and Grandpa Ray as they both were gone before I was born. However, I have pictures of them and stories retold by my family.

The Rays were a close family and Grandma and Grandpa loved their boys! Being a mother of 3, I can only imagine the emotions when their four boys served in World War II. Yes, all four. They all returned home safely.

Major Roger Ray, served in England and France as a pilot on a Martin Marauder B-28 bomber. He completed 62 missions. He held several well-deserved medals and citations, among them the Distinguished Flying Cross awarded May 11, 1944, the Silver Star, Bronze Star, the Air Medal with ten oak leaf clusters.

Sgt. Maynard Ray was a radio operator with the 20th Air Force ground to plane radio communications with B-29 Superforts. He had been stationed on Timon in the Pacific area.

Sgt. Marlowe Ray (my father) was stationed at Yusku, Japan before occupation forces. He was discharged November 24, 1947 and recalled into service March 1951. He was with MacArthur's First Calvalry on his first hitch. He was then stationed at Topeka, Kansas, 90th Maintenance Squadron, Forbes AFB, Topeka, Kansas. My mother joined him and found a clerical job at the base.

Captain Charles Ray, Jr. entered the service as an air cadet February 1943 at Creighton University, Omaha Nebraska. In 1944 he received his wings. For a short time he was stationed at Romulus Field and was sent overseas in June of 1944. He served in the Air Transport Command and flew a Curtiss Commander C-46.



My dad, Marlowe Ray



Roger Ray and Maynard Ray



Charles Ray, Jr.

Boy a lot has changed. Where there were B-28 bombers and C-46s, we now have B1 bombers, DC-10s, and 747s. Hand-written letters to home that sometimes took weeks to arrive have been replaced with the internet and e-mail.

Technology has changed the way we live and the way we fight wars. But the love families have for their loved ones has never changed. It's important to remember the service men and women who gave their lives so you and I can continue to enjoy the freedom that we enjoy in America. However, we need to remember there are other sons and daughters who are currently fighting for our country too.

In honor of Memorial Day, it is to the four Ray boys that I dedicate this blog post.