Lt. Raymond J. Enners (November 5, 1945
– September 18, 1968) was an officer in the United States Army and a champion high-school lacrosse player. He attended and played for the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
at West Point before serving in the army during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
where he was killed in action. He received several posthumous awards for his service and several lacrosse awards are given out yearly in his honor.
Biography
Early life
Ray Enners was born into an athletic family. His father, also named Raymond, played football for a semi-pro team in
Farmingdale, New York
Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. The population was 8,189 as of the 2010 Census.
The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State Park and the rest of ...
. Ray Enners attended
Half Hollows High School in Dix Hills, New York. During his time at Half Hollows, he served as captain of the football, basketball and lacrosse teams. He excelled in lacrosse, fondly nicknamed "The Machine" by his teammates. During his senior year, he was an All-County, All Long Island and Honorable Mention All-American. He played varsity lacrosse for five-years and played in the first five Suffolk County championships.
Enners continued to play
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensi ...
while he attended the United States Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1967. He was the 1967 NCAA/USILA Honorable Mention All-American.
Enners was inducted posthumously into the
Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame
The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame is an American sports hall of fame based in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York. The non-profit was established during 1990 to honor outstanding people, living or deceased, who have gained prominence and made ...
on Long Island in the Lacrosse Category with the Class of 1991.
Vietnam War and death
On September 18, 1968, Lt. Enners was serving as platoon leader with Company A, 1st Battalion,
11th Infantry Brigade,
Americal Division
The Americal Division was an infantry division of the United States Army during World War II and the Vietnam War.
The division was activated 27 May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. In the immediate emergency following Pearl Harbor, the U ...
in a combat sweep near the village of Ha Thanh in
South Vietnam. His platoon was outflanked and ambushed by a camouflaged
People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) squad amongst the hills while they crossed a small valley. A leader of Enners' squad was severely wounded and fell within twenty meters of the PAVN. The squad leader called for help, and Lt. Enners attempted to rescue him despite strong enemy fire.
Lt. Enners advanced his position from one hundred meters back to a dike that sheltered his forward squad twenty meters shy of the wounded squad leader. He dispersed his men to provide cover fire at the hostiles. He and another squad leader then made it to within ten meters of the wounded squad leader. The PAVN lobbed grenades at them and forced them back to the dike. Lt. Enners continued to maneuver his men closer to the enemy so they could provide better cover. He then ran into the crossfire to reach the wounded squad leader. After reaching him, Lt. Enners applied first aid and picked him up to bring him to the medics. When Lt. Enners was within fifteen meters of the enemy, a PAVN machine gun barrage killed him.
[
In 2016, Richard Enners authored the book "Heart of Gray", the story about his brother, Lt. Raymond J. Enners, Alpha Company, 1-20th Infantry, 11th Brigade and his courage and sacrifice in Vietnam.
]
Military Awards Received
Enners received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
posthumously for his service in South Vietnam. His name is listed on the Vietnam War Memorial and one of the athletic hallways at West Point is named in his memory.
Lacrosse Awards named after Lt. Enners
* The Lt. Raymond Enners Award
The Lt. Raymond Enners Award is an award given annually to the NCAA's most outstanding player in men's college lacrosse. The award is presented by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and is named after 1st Lt. Raymond J ...
is presented by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association is an association of member institutions and organizations with college lacrosse programs at all levels of competition, including the three NCAA divisions and non-NCAA schools, at both the vars ...
to the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...
National Player of the Year in men's lacrosse.
* The Lt. Ray Enners Award
The Lt. Ray Enners Award is presented annually to the most outstanding high school lacrosse player on Long Island's Suffolk County, New York. The award is presented by the Suffolk County Boys Lacrosse Coaches Association, Section XI Athletics, t ...
is given by the Suffolk County Coaches Association to the top boys' high school player in Suffolk County, Long Island, each year.
References
External links
Suffolk County Ray Enners Award Winnersofficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enners, Raymond
American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Army Black Knights men's lacrosse players
Military personnel from New York (state)
Sportspeople from Suffolk County, New York
1945 births
1968 deaths
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
United States Army officers