This Memorial Day We Remember SSgt. Ray Rangel

Staff Sergeant Ray Rangel, 29, of San Antonio, Texas, assigned to the 7th Engineering Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base. He trained as a firefighter in the US and carried those duties to Iraq. During his deployment, Rangel was sent on a rescue mission to the city of Balad. A military vehicle had rolled into a canal and several soldiers were trapped. Rangel died on February 13, 2005 attempting to rescue those men. Three other soldiers perished, but five were saved, in part due to SSgt. Rangel.

SSgt. Rangel was a 1994 graduate of South San Antonio High School, where he played football and earned the nickname “Crazy Ray” despite his tender heart. SSgt. Rangel earned a number of numbers of awards and decorations. He also has two awards named in his honor: Staff Sgt. Ray Rangel Award and the Ray Rangel Noncommissioned Officer Award which is given to fellow airmen in the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing that epitomize the selfless courage that he displayed. An American Legion was also renamed to Ray Rangel Post 399. He leaves behind a wife and four children, as well as his three sisters, mother and father.

From:Patriot All-America