(24492) Rayene 'Ray' Simpson, Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) describes an action with 232 Mobile Strike Force Company in which Lieutenant J. Blankenship was killed in action, South Vietnam, 1968 in a de-brief with a US Major

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"On the night of 23 October, Lieutenant Blankenship split the company into four, four groups. Spec 4 Burrows had the northern most platoon, indigenous platoon leader had the second northern one. Lieutenant Blankenship stopped with 3rd Platoon and headquarters in his night position, and I went down with recon platoon to the southern most position, approximately 1200 metres south of him. We had a very quiet night and on the morning of the 24th at roughly seven, five - 07:58 hours, we heard the fire fight start from Lieutenant Blankenship's area. I gathered my platoon and started to head back toward him. It took me roughly 20 minutes to find his position. In the meantime, I'd been told that he was wounded. When I got to his position, the indigenous medic was working on him. He was bleeding profusely from the back even though he was still - he was bleeding and very close to death when I got to him, he was still giving orders, he was still in - completely in control and in charge of the element with him. He was detailing squads out as security. He told me before he died that he's - was going up to get a LZ to send out a sick man who was unconscious and they walked into an ambush. He told me they estimated strength of 120 men. I learnt from queries throughout the company who were - the element that was with him, that he was hit in the initial volley and he continued to maintain the fire fight, he'd spoke [sic] with other elements across the big blue line from us by radio, told them what had happened, tried to get in contact with me and he couldn't reach me and right up until the very last, he was - he was still in control, giving orders, telling the medic what to do for his wound. And about roughly three minutes before he died, he asked me to give him a rifle or to shoot him. If I couldn't - wouldn't shoot him, he wanted a grenade. And I wouldn't do that. And then the last thing he said to me was, "Take care of things until I get back". The terrain we were working in is mountainous, dense undergrowth, visibility within the undergrowth sometimes as down [sic] as low as ten feet, other times is up to 50, 60 metres. The weather was fine, cold through the night but in the morning when the contact was initiated, it was fine."
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On the morning of 5 August 1944, Simpson was involved in the breakout by Japanese prisoners of war at Cowra in New South Wales. He was later posted to the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion and served with the 26th Battalion, towards the end of the Second World War.

After demobilisation in 1947 He held a variety of jobs before re-enlisting in 1951 for service in Korea. During this period he married Shoko Sakai, on 5 March 1952.

After serving in a number of units, Simpson was deployed as one of the initial group of advisers with the Australian Army Training Team, Vietnam (AATTV). Simpson's team flew to Vietnam in July 1962.

After a year in Vietnam he returned to the Special Air Service unit but 12 months later returned to Vietnam for his second tour of duty with the AATTV, commencing in July 1964. During his second tour he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions when his patrol was ambushed in September 1964.

In May 1966 Simpson left the Army for a second time but he again re-enlisted by travelling directly to Saigon a year later to commence his third tour of duty with the AATTV, during which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Simpson received his Victoria Cross from the Queen during a ceremony in Sydney on 1 May 1970. The United States awarded him the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for Valour. Simpson took up a position as administrative officer at the Australian embassy in Tokyo in 1972. He died of cancer in Tokyo on 18 October 1978 and was buried in the Yokohama war cemetery in Japan.