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 PEARL
HARBOR, Hawaii -- Commander, Submarine
Force U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) Lt. Cmdr. Tom Ray was awarded
the Bronze Star Wednesday, Jan. 14 by
Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny in a ceremony held in the Rear Adm.
Lacey Briefing Theater at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.
“This award is tangible evidence of all of the good work that you
have done,” McAneny told Ray at the presentation.
Ray received the prestigious award for exceptionally meritorious
service in a combat zone with exposure to risk of hostile action
while assigned to Joint Counter Radio Controlled Improvised
Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (CREW) Composite Squadron One
(JCCS-1), Multi-National Corps-Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom
while on an Individual Augmentee (IA) assignment from April to Dec.
2008.
“As a submarine officer, you don’t always have the chance to see how
the work that you do affects the big picture,” said Ray. “Over there
I got to see my contributions every day.”
During his assignment, Ray served as a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)
Electronics Warfare Officer (EWO) and Operations Officer in direct
support of Regimental Combat Team One, 2nd Battalion and 3rd Marines
in the Al Anbar province, as well as embedded as Operations Officer
for the Marine Division Command Element (CREW Operations).
“I think he found this assignment very rewarding,” said Ray’s son
Callum. “We were always worrying about him, of course, but I’m very
glad he got something positive out of it.”
“There is always that backdrop of uncertainty,” said Ray’s wife
Robyn. “He found it to be a positive experience and I felt this was
obviously something important for him. We’re very proud of the work
that he’s done.”
“The IA experience is well worth doing,” said Ray.
Since 2006, SUBPAC has contributed 38 Sailors to the IA program with
eight personnel actively deployed as of this writing.
The Bronze Star is the fourth highest combat award a servicemember
can receive and the ninth highest over-all military award in the
official order of precedence for all U.S. military decorations. |
