Private First Class US Army
Unit – 404th Engineering Div., C Battalion
Birth place – Rhode Island
Birth date – 07/01/1922
Death date – 08/04/2017
Father – Francisco José Rei
Mother – Maria dos Anjos de Faria Rei
Alfred Joseph Ray in uniform
(Photograph courtesy of Marie Ray Fraley, niece)
Son of Portuguese nationals from São Miguel, Ribeira das Taínhas and Rabo de Peixe, Alfred Ray was born in Rhode Island on January 7, 1922.
Alfred Ray presented himself for enlistment in the U.S. Army in Providence, Rhode Island, in November 1942. After basic training, he attended specialized training as an orderly at Fort Blanding, Florida. Integrated into Company A, 404th Engineer Division, Battalion C, he arrived in Africa on May 11, 1943, serving in the 94th Evacuation Hospital as a driver and projectionist.
Together with his company, he participated in the Naples-Foggin, North Apennines, Po Valley, and Rome-Arne Campaigns. He served militarily until the end of the war, when his unit was demobilized at Venice, Italy on September 25, 1945, later arriving in the United States on October 12.
"PFC" Alfred Ray was honorably discharged on October 20, 1945 and awarded the Good Conduct Medal, and the Europe-African-Middle-Eastern Theater Service Medal.
He passed away on April 8, 2017.
António Fragoeiro and Marie Ray Fraley
