At the recent Council Meeting October 7, Council Member Dr.G (Dr. Luis S. González) presented Ray Gomez, long-time Colton resident and WWII Veteran with an official Recognition of his 100th Birthday.
Born in San Bernardino on August 3, 1925 Ray Gomez has spent a lifetime of service to his family, to our nation and to the community of Colton. Ray’s parents were Angel and Mercedes Gomez, and he has two sisters, Annie and Esther, and one brother, Angel Jr.
As a young man Ray worked in the fields and then found part-time work at Kaiser Steel. Because of the need for troops during WWII, Ray joined the United States Army at the age of 18, and was immediately assigned to Fort McArthur in San Pedro for formal induction, and to receive his uniform and equipment. The next step was his basic training where he spent 17 weeks at Camp Fannin in Texas and one month at Camp Van Doren in Louisiana. After being sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey for combat assignment young Ray was transported to England on the well-known ship, the “Queen Elizabeth.” From that point he served in England, France, Luxembourg, and Germany. His rank was Private First Class (PFC) and served in the U.S. Army from November 1943-May 1946.
Ray paid a heavy price serving as an infantry rifleman. He was shot by a barrage of mortar shrapnel injuring his right hand, left forearm, chest, side and thigh. Ten years ago, Ray shared this account of his wartime experience. “I was wounded at the border of France and Germany, which was called the Siegfried line. The line was made up of concrete pillars called ‘dragon teeth’ which were in place to keep out our tanks. On the German side were bunkers and machine guns, and behind those were mortars (like canons). Our division was then ordered to attack, and we were completely under fire. After crossing the Siegfried line, I was hit by mortar shrapnel.” For his service, Ray was awarded the following medals: Victory medal, Purple heart, Bronze Star, European Campaign medal, Good conduct medal, Combat badge and an Army of Occupation medal.
After being discharged from military service Ray found employment with the Santa Fe Railroad for which he worked 20 years. Ray had two children, Patsy and Danny, with his first wife, and later married Cora on May 12, 1952 at the age of 22, and they decided to make Colton their home. Ray and Cora had two children, Cynthia and Debra. Cora passed away in 2018 after 66 years of marriage. Over the years, Ray has been blessed with 12 grandchildren and currently finds himself at the head of a happy, successful and close-knit family all interwoven into the community fabric of the Colton “vib,” including work, school, church, veteran’s affairs and community events.
At his recent birthday celebration held at the VFW, many individuals had the opportunity to talk with Ray, take photos and join in for the signing of Happy Birthday. Carmen Moyeda, wife of Ray’s good friend Bernie Moyeda reflected, “I can’t believe he made it to 100. I can only hope I can be that blessed.” Bernie himself weighed in by saying, “I’ve lived a long time too, you old fart”(Army talk). Additionally, one of Ray’s long-time friends who served in the Korean War, Rudy Contreras, wanted to comment as a fellow wounded soldier that, “Although Ray was seriously wounded, he just kept going.” The well-attended birthday event closed with several well-wishes and individual photos with Ray, bringing to the end a heart-felt celebration that will be remembered a long time.
Ray Gomez is to be congratulated for having a successful career, raising a healthy family, serving his country, and firmly etching his place in the history of our City of Colton. In recognizing his life-long accomplishments, the Colton City Council would like to offer best wishes to Ray Gomez for a continued path of life, love, success and prosperity. You are truly blessed. Thank you for your service and Happy Birthday Ray Gomez.