His main task is to guard Iraqi offshore oil rigs and terminals. So far, neither terrorists nor insurgents have challenged him or his 21-man crew.

A graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and a career officer, Ray makes his home in Miami, his hometown. It has been eight months since he saw his wife, Lorrenda, and four young children, aged 8, 7, 4 and 3.

Here's what he had to say to Tribune editorial board member Jim Beamguard.

On his mission:

Nobody is actually shooting at us. When we're doing security operations, we work alongside some Iraqi patrol boats.

We have a warning zone around the oil terminals - 3,000 meters. And we have an exclusion zone of 2,000 meters. We make sure the maritime community stays outside the exclusion zone. If they enter the warning zone, we let them know they're a little too close to the oil terminal.

The Iraqi port of Basra is about 19 miles away from where the oil terminals are. There is definitely a lot of maritime traffic - fishing boats, skiffs.

Everything's very, very positive when we talk with them. A water dhow comes out to the offshore oil terminal. We board them, sweep the vessel, make sure it's good and safe. We talk to them. Everything has been totally positive.

They've made progress, especially with the elections. I'm not a politician, but I think everything's turning out pretty positive, from what I'm seeing.

On life at sea:

We're pretty much under way the whole time. We stay busy. I try to keep the guys sharp since we're operating in a war zone. We operate out of a chain of islands east of Saudi Arabia. When we're in Bahrain, we get to unwind a little bit.

We have a cook on board, a food service specialist, a pretty good one. In the mess deck, everybody talks and has fun down there. It's a small ship, 110 feet long. It's not that big, but it can fit 22 people in. It's pretty much like family.

We have air conditioning too. This Coast Guard cutter is our little home away from home.

I work out a lot. That's the thing I do to unwind.

We don't have too many fishermen on board. I haven't seen one fishing rod go over the side since I've been here.

I'm the commanding officer. I just try to keep their minds busy. We train. And we joke around a lot. We tell sea stories. Out there in the sea, it can be lonely sometimes, so I try to keep their minds focused. Give them a pep talk.

Everybody here volunteered to come out here. They're all in good spirits, but I can't wait to come home and see my family again.

On what he needs:

Send a care package. Fruit cocktail - you know, this is just me speaking; I like fruit cocktail. Powdered Gatorade, that works out good. Books. CDs. Little things like that help out a lot. A World War II veteran sent a little chess box. It kept us busy.

It's a pretty simple address: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Aquidnick, FPO AE 09654 3952. We'll get it, no problem. It'll come right to the cutter.

It really puts a smile on a guy's face to get a box.

On why the Coast Guard is needed there:

We're well-versed in law enforcement operations. Conducting boardings is like second nature to us. Queries, escorts, we can do all that. I definitely think we're needed. I was out here four years ago doing boardings in the same Arabian Gulf.

On his family:

The hardest part is being away from my family. I have four kids, a wife at home. I try to reach out to them once a week at least. I haven't seen my family in eight months, a long time. I miss them a lot. In December, I get to go home and see them, so I'm looking forward to that.

I volunteered, my third time to be in a war zone. I'd be lying to you if I said my wife was happy [about his volunteering]. This is my career. My father was in Coast Guard 29 1/2 years. He passed away five years ago, when he was about to retire.

On his motivation:

Personally, what I'm doing here is so my kids and my grandkids can come to this region and not be in fear of being harmed. They can come out here and learn about another culture. This area, now, could be dangerous.

We're helping out the Iraqi people. And maybe my grandkids can come out here and visit the Iraqi desert. Maybe what I'm doing here can help get us to that point.

Keyword: Commentary, to read other recent Voices From The Front stories and more on the media coverage of Iraq. The Tribune arranges these interviews with service members through U.S. Central Command.