Birmingham, Ala. — The 106th Air Refueling Squadron of the Alabama Air National Guard will hold a memorial ceremony at the grave-site of Thomas “Pete” Ray in Forest Hill Cemetery on April 18 at 3:00pm commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs mission that took the lives of four Alabama Airmen.
This historic event honors the sacrifice of Leo Baker, Wade Gray, Pete Ray and Riley Shamburger as well as the Alabama Air National Guard’s involvement in the Bay of Pigs.
The Bay of Pigs was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) mission intended to use Cuban exiles to invade the island of Cuba and start a revolution against Fidel Castro. Conducted in secrecy, it was carried out in part by Airmen from the 117th Reconnaissance Wing, now the 117th Air Refueling Wing, Alabama Air National Guard. Four Airmen were killed in action. Due to the secret nature of the mission, no one in the Alabama Air National Guard was allowed to discuss the mission or what had happened to the Airmen for over two decades. It was another twenty years before the CIA was compelled to publicly acknowledged the failed invasion, and the loss of the Alabama Airmen.
In 2012, the 117th Air Refueling Wing began an annual tradition of remembering the fallen Airmen by laying a wreath on the grave of Thomas “Pete” Ray who was killed in action. This solemn event is held to commemorate the Bay of Pigs operation and to remember and honor our heroic predecessors.
Media is invited to attend the ceremony and wreath laying followed by guest speaker Mr. Toby Harnden at the Southern Museum of Flight at 5:30pm. For more information, contact the Public Affairs office at 205-714-2319.
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