Ray Joseph Hutchinson Biography
Hutch----- A Hero's Life---2/502
 On a clear, crisp February morning, a new
member was added to the long and
distinguished list of the world's valiant
heroes. It was on 09 Feb 1983, that Ray
Joseph Hutchinson was born in Houston,
Texas. His bloodline can be
traced back to Scottish, English, and German
ancestors, many of whom fought
in great wars long ago. His grandfather was
a sergeant in the Army Infantry and fought
in the Philippines in WWII. His father was
in the Navy on a destroyer in the Viet Nam
War. Ray Joseph's arrival was a true
blessing for his mother, Deborah, who was an
artist; his father, Michael, who was a bank
auditor; and his four-year-old brother, Lee
Andrew (whom it was later
discovered possessed an I.Q. of 160!).
Ray Joseph's mother knew that from the first
moment she held her new baby
son, that he was marked for greatness that
would be seen in a destiny set by
God. And so it was.
From the start, it was evident that Ray
Joseph had an eagerness to learn
about everything he saw. He watched those
around him, paid attention,
listened, and soaked up knowledge with great
focus. Ray Joseph responded
well to all of his family and friends.
 He
was cooperative, unselfish,
eager, and full of curiosity and spontaneous
humor. Those who knew him as a
little child will tell you that he had
comprehension about his surroundings
that surpassed other children his own age.
He was kind, thoughtful,
fair-minded, and attentive.
Ray Joseph's hand/eye coordination was
exceptional for a young child. He
was walking by time he was ten months old.
Before he was a year old, he
could catch and throw a ball accurately. He
could climb two flights of
stairs before he could walk, and he never
fell down. By the time he turned
four, he could already ride a bicycle
without training wheels. His great
ability to tackle the aspects of forward
motion continued to display itself
in his acquired skill at a young age to
hockey skate on ice, or to roller
blade on concrete with ease and speed.
Travel to other areas of the country
with his family, or with his grandparents,
allowed Ray Joseph to broaden his
physical abilities into swimming with skill,
jet-skiing, surfing, water
skiing, snow skiing, ice skating and
snow-boarding, as well as rock-climbing in the mountains of Texas, Vermont,
Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah and the
beaches, lakes, and gulf coast regions of
Texas, and Florida. As an
adolescent, Ray Joseph also studied
traditional Korean Martial Arts,
specializing in an ancient style called Kuk
Sool Won, in which he competed
with great success.
Ray Joseph lived with his mother, father,
and brother in League City, a
thriving community on the southeast side of
Houston, Texas. His home was
beside Magnolia Creek and was flanked by
huge oak trees and maples, and
hiking trails that lead into the woods
around his neighborhood. It was
here, on Lazy Hollow Drive, that his family,
neighbors, and friends watched
Ray Joseph as he was developing into the
great man and warrior he was to
become. Each day for Ray Joseph was an
adventure. It was in these young
years of his life that Ray Joseph asked to
be baptized to seal his position
for eternity with the Good Lord. His Faith
would sustain him in the years
to come.
Ray Joseph's nature was easy and calm.
 He
was so generous with his smile,
humor, laughter, and encouragement with
those around him whether they were
friends, coworkers, or strangers. Ray
Joseph brought many of his friends
home to his house where he knew they would
always be welcome to spend time
or to share a meal. His mother, an artist,
painted the walls of his home
with murals, and Ray Joseph was always
giving tours of his home to each new
friend he made.
Along with Ray Joseph's athletic skills, he
also was drawn to the world of
fine arts. He loved to go to live
performances in the theater district of
downtown Houston. He also enjoyed going to
concerts of his favorite bands
whenever he could. He loved rock, swing,
heavy medal, rap, classical,
country, Christian, and patriotic music.
Ray Joseph loved films-drama, biographical,
or comedy--and his favorite
films were always great stories of epic
adventures and heroism. Most
cherished was "Braveheart." He was greatly
influenced by the life and story
of Sir William Wallace. Later, he studied
Latin in high school because it
was spoken in this film in several scenes.
Ray Joseph learned to play the saxophone,
which was his favorite instrument,
and competed in district solo competitions
in the state of Texas. Marching
in the band from the age of twelve until his
junior year in high school, he
easily participated in group efforts that
required skill and cooperation for
success. Because of his marching skills, he
was appointed the position of
"squad leader" so that he could teach other
new members of his school band
how to march. Even though it could be a
real trial to teach others to
march, he enjoyed working with everybody who
crossed his path. This served
him well when he later became a soldier.
After attending Creekside Junior High, Ray
Joseph began his four years at
Clear Creek High School. It was here that
he became the school photographer
for his school newspaper, "The HiLife". His
photographs always contained
sensitivity, and he skillfully captured the
moment with his photographic
abilities. One photograph he took in
particular is of the reflection of a
soldier's countenance in the black marble of
the Vietnam War Memorial, as
the soldier stands with his head down. The
names etched in the black marble
seem to float over the image of the soldier
paying his respects to the
fallen ones on the memorial. This
photograph, taken by Ray Joseph, is
prophetic in nature since he would soon be
among those names for another war
to come.
 During his Senior year at Clear Creek High
School, Ray Joseph was selected
to become a member of PALS (Peer Assistance
and Leadership). Members of
this organization are selected carefully by
their peers and the faculty,
because they represent the finest and best
at the high school. PALS members
go to other schools and help teach children
about coping with peer pressure
and becoming successful in all their
endeavors. Ray Joseph worked with
fifth and sixth graders each week in other
school districts, answering their
questions, participating in physical fitness
programs with these students,
and helping to guide them to success. The
children loved him and his
arrival in the classroom was always a
celebration. During these years, Ray
Joseph worked at the Texas Rock Gym, where
he taught the skill of climbing.
He also worked at a sporting goods store for
outdoor activities called "Sun
and Ski", and as a checker at a grocery
store.
With a host of friends, Ray Joseph also was
in the cast of the senior play,
"Crazy for You". He enjoyed being on the
stage of his school, singing,
dancing, and making everyone laugh. It was
also his senior year that he and
four of his close buddies won the annual
Talent Show. They all did an
amazing choreographed version of Nsync's "Gotta
Be Me", which was so
entertaining that they were asked to repeat
the act! They received a
standing ovation for both performances. The
Senior Prom followed, and then
graduation in 2001.
Ray Joseph did well on
his SAT scores, so he had no
problem getting into a university of his
choice---Southwest Texas State
University in San Marcos, Texas. This
university is in the "hill country" of
Texas up by Austin. He entered into college
life, dormitory living, and
becoming a member of a Fraternity, Pi Kappa
Phi. Ray Joseph continued on
with his studies, completing his first year
of college.
During his first year at SWT, Ray Joseph
awoke one morning in his dormitory
to see the horror of September 11, 2001, on
the television screen. He sat
speechless as the events played out on that
fateful day when so many were
killed by the cowardly acts of terrorism.
Something inside Ray Joseph
awakened as he watched so many innocent
lives taken, and the need to become
a part of the defense of his country was
born in his heart and mind. After
much prayer and great consideration, Ray
Joseph made the decision to join
the ranks of the Army Infantry, where he
felt he could accomplish the most
for his country. He enlisted at the end of
his first year in college, in
May, 2002. He wanted to be a part of the
fight for freedom, and he wanted
to make sure that he was with the best.
 So
in the summer of 2002, Ray
Joseph joined the Army and began the
preparation for the training ahead. He
knew that the timing was right in his life
to devote himself to something
bigger than he was, and to be a part of
serving and protecting his country
that he loved so well.
On 30 Aug 2002, Ray Joseph left for boot
camp and infantry training at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He had prepared himself
well for the rigors of PT by
training in the heat and humidity of Houston
for several weeks before he
left for Ft. Benning. He met all the
requirements to leave for boot camp as
a Private First Class. He was ready for
whatever the drill sergeants had in
mind. The challenge and discipline required
to achieve goals appealed to
Ray Joseph. But even more, he was drawn to
the idea of becoming a part of a
fighting team. He understood and loved the
brotherhood of battle buddies.
During his training at Ft. Benning, he
became a squad leader and later a platoon
leader. As graduation from advanced
infantry training drew close, PFC Hutchinson
was nominated to participate in the "Soldier
of the Cycle" competition. He accepted the
nomination, considering it a great honor to
represent his company, and became "Hutch" to
his buddies.
On 17 Dec 2002, Hutch graduated as
Distinguished Honor Graduate:
the "Soldier of the Cycle". He received the
Army Achievement Medal, and
went immediately into jump school where he
got his "wings". He said that
jumping was one of the most exciting things
he had done, and he loved every
minute of it. Since he had graduated first
in his class, he was granted his
choice of service. Without hesitation,
Hutch chose to become a part of the
elite fighting force Ft. Campbell,
Kentucky--the 101st Airborne (Air
Assault). He arrived there in early
February of 2003, to discover a short
time later that he would be deployed to Iraq
for the war ahead.
Right before deployment, Hutch's parents
traveled from Texas to Ft.
Campbell so that they could spend time
together and say goodbye. Hutch's
mother gave him a laminated card on which
she had printed three scriptures:
- Romans 13:12---The night is nearly over;
The day is almost here!
Put aside darkness and put on
the armor of light. Clothe yourself with
Jesus.
- 2nd Timothy 1:7---God did not give us a
spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and
Love.
- John 14:27---Do not let your heart be
troubled and do not be afraid.
Hutch placed that card from his mother in
his uniform pocket. They stayed
with him in his possession the rest of his
time on this earth.
So it was, in the early morning hours of 8
Mar 2003, that Hutch and the
other members of the 2nd Battalion of the
101st Screaming Eagles, left the
United States of America to go to the other
side of the world to free the
country of Iraq from the cruel regime of
Saddam Hussein, and to fight for
freedom for those people, as well as to
protect the freedoms we cherish in
America. Each soldier was about to discover
their hidden strengths, valiant
courage, grim determination, and true
heroism that would rise up and carry
them through the most difficult time of
their lives. Hutch was about to
begin the last great contribution he would
make in this world to his
country, his battle buddies, his family, the
people of Iraq, and to his
obedience to the Good Lord---the sacrifice
of his very life for all. What
greater gift can a man give than his life's
blood in his effort to protect
and save others? There is no higher calling.
 Hutch was there in Kuwait at Camp New York.
He watched Patriot missiles
shoot down the enemy Scuds in the sky, as
the warning sirens screamed day
and night. He was there when the
helicopters commenced the assault of the
101st deep into Iraq. He felt the wind, the
burning sand, the weight of the MOLLE packs, the miles of marching, the
endless hours without sleep, the
weeks without showers, the days with few
rations, the unbearable heat, and
unrelenting sun, and the constant attack
from hidden and treacherous enemies
in a strange desert land. He smelled death,
saw death all around, and kept
on going. He slept in trenches, and holes
dug in the sand, and watched each
sunrise and each sunset with a determination
to perform at the highest level
to get the job done. During these days and
weeks, Hutch maintained his
humor and encouraged those around him. He
wrote in his journal, "As
difficult as it is to be here, when I look
around at the faces of the
children in Iraq, I know why we are here!"
Hutch and his battle buddies moved up into
the country of Iraq, fighting,
clearing buildings, schools, hospitals, and
homes of enemy fighters and
their caches of weapons. The work was
dangerous, difficult, exhausting, and
endless. Each day brought success and
victory. Bridges were taken,
buildings were secured, the enemy was on the
run, and the forward motion of
the brave men of the 2/502 who fought beside
Hutch was relentless. Hundreds
of missions were completed with success, and
the progress of the work at
hand was swift and efficient. These
difficult days drew Hutch and the soldiers
with whom he served closer together as a
fighting unit. Hutch was always ready to
smile and offer words of encouragement.
Finding something to make someone laugh was
one of his greatest gifts to others. Hutch
was there for those around him, and
understood the unspoken bond of brotherhood
that only a soldier can know.
 Into and through the desert, villages, and
places that seem to have no name, the 2/502
moved forward. At An Najaf, bridges were
taken. At Karbala, schools were cleared and
taken, weapon caches were found and the heat
took it's toll. It was here that Hutch and
another soldier stood over the body of their
sergeant who had suffered a heat stroke.
Hutch stood with his weapon firing, in view
of the enemy so that a medic could
administer CPR to save the sergeant's life.
Later, after returning to the U.S., this
sergeant told Hutch's family:
"I'm a married man with two sons. I am here
today to be with my wife and sons because of
what Hutch did for me!"
Anytime Hutch was told he had done something
outstanding, his response always was, "I was
only doing my job."
The work continued with no rest, no showers,
limited rations, low water, heat, danger all
around, but he had the dedication to perform
at the highest level. Finally the 2/502
reached Baghdad where Hutch and the rest
were greeted with pits of oil fires, gutted
enemy tanks, dead bodies of Republican
Guard, and mine fields all around. The time
in Baghdad and the work required was
arduous, and it was there that the plan to
move further north became a reality.
So the trip to Mosul commenced. Hutch and
the rest loaded into Chinooks and Blackhawks,
and trucks, listening to what may or may not
have been celebratory fire in the
surrounding areas because of a partial
restoration of power in the city of
Baghdad.
 By now it was April, and even
though the military campaign was officially
over, the dangerous weeks and months of
rebuilding Iraq began to unfold. Hutch and
the other men with him were loaded up into
the "birds" for the longest air assault in
history that included 1600 troops, 45
Chinooks, and 18 Blackhawks---destination:
Mosul. Hutch said it was the best roller
coaster ride he ever had. Once again, he
was able to find something that made those
around him smile when he and the rest were
under great stress.
In Mosul, the work began. Thousands of
missions, patrols, many of which were on
foot, clearing and preparing school,
mosques, government buildings, hotels, gas
stations, propane
distribution companies, and finally the
power plant. It was in the power plant in
Mosul that Hutch and his platoon lived.
Hutch began to receive mail from home and
lots of packages. He was so happy to be
able to share with the other soldiers. He
even shared an air-conditioner that his
family managed to get to him. But whatever
he had, he made sure others got a share.
His platoon was named the "Hooligans".
Hutch and the rest got the job done,
whatever it was. They worked well as a team,
were efficient, co-operative with each
other, and powerful.
By now Hutch was one
of the M240B gunners for his platoon, and
repeatedly qualified "Expert" on the range.
He carried the heavy
weapon everywhere---even on foot
marches--and never complained. In fact, he
would often tell other soldiers in a foot
march who complained or lagged,
"If me and
my skinny butt can carry this weapon and
still smile, then you can carry yours!"
Hutch was 6' 2" tall, blonde, lean, and very
strong. He weighed about 152 lbs., most of
which was muscle.  All those years of
rock-climbing, and all that good P.T. paid
off. He looked forward to any type of
competition during P.T. and made sure to
keep his scores at the top. This was
something he did from Basic training until
the last day he was here. He told his
parents in a phone call home that it would
be the Infantry who captured Sadaam Hussein
because he said the Infantry gets the job
done. But most of all, he looked forward to
each one of his days as he did the work he
was trained to do, and work he had to learn
to do as he went along. He was a warrior, a
poet, a friend, a magnificent son, a loving
brother to his only sibling as well as to
the men with whom he served, a man of God
who truly loved the Lord, and a gift to all
who knew him because he always lifted those
around him to a higher level. His smile was
like his name---like a ray of sunshine.
After his death, among his personal
possessions was found a piece of paper on
which he wrote:
Hugs and kisses and tears that glisten
come from the families as they listen
to their young men tell of a foreign land
that they must go to and free men from an
evil hand
Hunger and poverty that must be changed
these Warriors move to oust Sadaam Hussein
These men who act and ask nothing in return
put their lives on the line to help a
country turn
from oppression, tyranny, and a government
of lies,
to opportunity, freedom, and a chance for
better lives.
These valiant young men of America's youth
Bust down the barriers to show the people
the truth
of how life should be lived in the world
today
to have a life that's free is the American
way.
- Ray Joseph
Hutchinson
Ten minutes past local noon on 07 Dec 2003,
the Good Lord took Hutch Home in an
instant. Though he was about to be granted
a two-week leave to come home to be with his
critically ill grandmother, whom he dearly
loved, Hutch told his parents in a phone
call that he did not have the heart to bump
another soldier off the emergency leave
plane. He told his parents he would wait
until the next plane to come home for his
grandmother. He was sent on a mission after
that call, and it became his last time to
obey orders as a good soldier always does.
Returning from that mission, in the last
vehicle of a convoy, Hutch left this world
and stood in the presence of the Lord, when
an improvised explosive device was detonated
by the enemy. In spite of this, Hutch
stands in eternal victory and it can truly
be said that, "The war is over, and a
soldier is Home."
He more than performed his duty. He lifted
the spirits of those who were discouraged,
he was an expert gunner, a fearless
infantryman, and he touched the hearts of
those around him with his strength, his
humor, his dedication, his loyalty, his
goodness, his encouragement, his efforts to
maintain the highest standards, his
 Faith in
the Lord, and finally his selflessness to
the point of sacrificing his life for the
freedom of the oppressed and the continued
freedom of his beloved America. Just as he
had predicted, exactly seven days after his
death, the Infantry captured Sadaam Hussein.
In the last conversation he had with his
mother right before his final mission,
Hutch told her, "I never worry about getting
hurt, or dying. I know that God walks with
me. I love you.....I'll be home soon..."
And all of his family, including his
grandmother, and thousands more saw him for
the last time as he was laid to rest on 16
Dec 03, in Houston, Texas, beneath the
American Flag.
"Oh, my son! What an honor to be
your mother...."
SPC Ray Joseph Hutchinson
101st Airborne Screaming Eagles 2/502
Killed in Action
December 7, 2003 Iraq
~ A TRUE HERO RESTS IN
THE PRESENCE OF GOD~ |
