Ray, Charles Aaron, 1945-

<p>Charles A. Ray has put in almost five decades of service during his career as both a soldier and diplomat, giving the new U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe an intriguing political and military skill-set to handle American relations with one of Africa’s most contentious regimes. He was sworn in as ambassador October 20, 2009.</p>

<p>A native of Center, Texas, Ray joined the U.S. Army in 1962, and was commissioned a second lieutenant three years later. His military experience covered work in public affairs, psychological operations, unconventional warfare and military intelligence, and his overseas tours included Vietnam (1968-1969, 1972-1973), Germany, Okinawa and South Korea. He retired with the rank of major in 1982.</p>

<p>Ray attended Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1972. He earned a Master of Science from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Science in national security strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, DC.</p>

<p>While serving in the Army in the 1970s, Ray contributed feature stories and editorial cartoons for the Spring Lake News in North Carolina.</p>

<p>After leaving the military, he decided to join another kind of service—the Foreign Service, in 1983. His early postings included serving in the U.S. Consulate General Offices in Guangzhou and Shenyang, China, as an administrative officer in Thailand, as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and in the State Department’s Political Military Affairs Bureau.</p>

<p>In 1998, he became the first U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.</p>

<p>Ray’s first ambassadorship came in 2002, when he was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the U.S. mission in Cambodia, where he served until 2005.</p>

<p>Then, he came back to the U.S. and served as diplomat-in-residence at the University of Houston for one year. He recruited students interested in careers in the Foreign Service or the State Department, and worked with secondary school systems, civic organizations and other groups to inform communities about diplomatic work.</p>

<p>In September 2006, Ray was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs. He was responsible for policy, control and oversight of all matters pertaining to missing American soldiers, including their rescue.</p>

<p>He is the author of Things I Learned from My Grandmother about Leadership and Life(2008), and Taking Charge: Effective Leadership for the Twenty-First Century(2009). He has published articles on leadership and social issues at Red Room, and produced stories, photography and art for publications such as Asia Magazine, Ebony, Essence, Eagle and Swan, and Buffalo Soldier.</p>

<p>Ray says he is “relatively proficient in Vietnamese and Thai” and knows some German, Korean and French. He is married to Myung Wook-soe.</p>

<p>Charles A. Ray served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe. In addition, he was the first U.S. Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, opening the Consulate General in 1998.</p>

<p>From 2006 to 2009, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs, responsible for DoD efforts to account for those missing in combat from World War II to the then current conflicts and for policy related to the rescue of personnel who become isolated, missing, or taken in service abroad.</p>

<p>During his diplomatic career, Ray served as deputy chief of mission in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and at consular posts in Guangzhou and Shenyang, China, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. He was diplomat-in-residence at the University of Houston during the 2005-2006 academic year; responsible for outreach and recruiting at colleges and universities in South Texas.</p>

<p>Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1982, he served 20 years in the United States Army, with postings in Europe and Asia, including two tours in Vietnam during the war. He retired in 2012 from the Foreign Service and is now engaged in consulting, public speaking, and writing. He is the author of more than 30 works of fiction and nonfiction, including a historical series about the Buffalo Soldiers, the African-American soldiers who served on the western frontier.</p>

<p>In addition to his government service, Ray has worked as a newspaper/magazine journalist, photographer, and artist, and was editorial cartoonist for the Spring Lake (NC) News, a weekly newspaper in central North Carolina during most of the mid to late-1970s.</p>

<p>He has a B.S. in business administration from Benedictine College, in Atchison, KS, an M.S. in systems management from the University of Southern California, and an M.S. in national security strategy from the National War College, National Defense University. In 2001, he received the Thomas Jefferson Award from American Citizens Abroad (ACA) for his work in support of American business in southern Vietnam.</p>

<p>Charles Aaron Ray (born July 5, 1945) finished his 50-year career of public service in 2012 as the U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe. He is a former Foreign Service Officer and career member of the Senior Foreign Service who held the position of U.S. Ambassador twice, and retired with the rank of Minister-Counselor. He is also a retired U.S. Army officer who was decorated twice for his actions in combat during the Vietnam War, and later served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs.</p>

<p>Born in Center, Texas, Ray earned his Bachelor's degree from Benedictine College in 1972, his Master of Science from the University of Southern California, and his second Master of Science from the National Defense University.</p>

<p>Ray joined the United States Army in 1962 and retired 20 years later with the rank of major. During his time with the Army, he served in Vietnam (1968–1969, 1972–1973), Germany, Okinawa, and South Korea. In the course of his 20-year Army career, he earned two Bronze Stars and an Armed Forces Humanitarian Service Medal.</p>

<p>After retiring from the U.S. Army in 1982, Ray went to work for the U.S. State Department. During his tenure at the State Department, he served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, and at the U.S. Consulate General Offices in Guangzhou and Shenyang, China. In 1998, he became the first U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.</p>

<p>President George W. Bush appointed Ray Ambassador to Cambodia in November 2002. Ray arrived in Phnom Penh on December 26, 2002, and served there until July 2005.</p>

<p>After serving in Cambodia, Ray returned to Texas to become diplomat-in-residence at the University of Houston, where he recruited students to serve in the State Department and the Foreign Service. In that capacity, he was also responsible for community affairs and outreach with high schools and civic groups.</p>

<p>In September 2006, President Bush appointed Ray as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs. He reported to Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates on administrative and policy matters relating to missing personnel. He was also responsible for creating policies and procedures for determining the status of all Americans missing in action, including rescuing all Americans endangered by combat operations.</p>

<p>President Barack Obama nominated Ray as U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe on August 5, 2009. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn into office on October 20, 2009. He arrived at his post in Harare in November, 2009. His assignment in Harare ended in August 2012. He returned to the United States, and on September 1, 2012, retired from public service.</p>

<p>In June 2008, Ray's first book, <i>Things I Learned From My Grandmother About Leadership and Life</i>, was published. His second book, <i>Taking Charge: Effective Leadership for the Twenty-First Century</i>, was published in March 2009. He has authored more than 100 works of fiction and nonfiction. In addition to his independently published books, he writes westerns for Outlaws Publishing, LLC, Rusty Spurs Publishing, and Dusty Saddle Publishing, including a series of books on the life of Bass Reeves, one of the first African-American deputy U.S. marshals west of the Mississippi River.</p>

<p>Ray is married and has four children.</p>