They Call Me Ranger Ray

by Ramiro "Ray" Martinez, Ramiro Martínez

On a hot summer day almost 40 years ago, fate and bravery dramatically altered the life of Ramiro "Ray" Martinez, then a young officer with the Austin Police Department. Martinez, another officer and a civilian made their way to the observation deck of the University of Texas Tower on Aug. 1, 1966 and ended the carnage by infamous sniper Charles J. Whitman. Before being killed by Martinez and Officer Houston McCoy, Whitman's gunfire from atop the UT Tower left 14 dead and 31 wounded. Martinez continued his career in law enforcement and became a Texas Ranger. After retiring from the Rangers, he served as a Comal County justice of the peace. He now has written an autobiography titled "They Call Me Ranger Ray."

Genres: History

266 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the autobiography of Ray Martinez, the officer who shot the sniper in the UT tower in 1969. What stood out to me most from this book was not his law enforcement experiences - interesting though they were - but his perspective on race. He is Hispanic, and worked his way up at a time when there few Hispanics with those opportunities. In fact, when he was first approached regarding becoming a Texas Ranger, he declined because he was afraid he might be hired just on the basis of the state wanting more diversity instead of on the merits of his qualifications. (If you knew what it takes to become a Ranger, you would understand how amazing that is.) Growing up, he "kept his place" and did not date white girls - but later married an Anglo lady. What made it really interesting is that his book is not about any of that; it's about his life and experiences as a law enforcement officer. That made his perspective more interesting than a book about race issues. And it's always great to read about the exploits of the Rangers, and good guys getting the bad guys!

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martinez tells the story of his life from childhood in the Texas panhandle and Mexxico to retirement on the edge of the Texas Hill country. Starting his law enforcement career as a ploiceman in Austin, Texas, he is credited for the shooting death of the University of Texas sniper Charles Whitman. From Austin PD he more on to being a narcotics inspector for the Texas Department of Public Safety and after four years a Texas Ranger. Martinez talks about some of the cases that he was involved in over his eighteen years as a Texas Ranger. Martinez gives some insight into the UT Tower shootings and what the daily life of a Ranger. A good read.