Lowell veteran waits for final decision on Medal of Honor bid
A 2025 submission for Dors Musgray’s upgrade from a Silver Star is now under review by the Army.
By Andrew Yang ·
Dors “Gene” Musgray is waiting for a decision on his application for the Medal of Honor. The application seeks to upgrade a Silver Star he earned in 1967. The file is currently with the Senior Awards and Decorations Branch of the Army Human Resources Command.
Musgray, then a Staff Sergeant, was part of a unit ambushed during the Battle of Ap Bac II on May 2, 1967. He crossed 50 meters of open rice paddies under fire to engage an enemy bunker. His actions allowed his troops to reorganize and complete the mission. He was wounded during the assault.
For that battle, he received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. He had already earned a Purple Heart and a Silver Star in earlier missions that spring. He later received a Bronze Star for service from 1970 to 1971. This record of four major combat decorations is rare.
Musgray served in the military for nearly 27 years, retiring in 1988. He then worked in the Massachusetts criminal justice system until 2016. He lived in Lowell’s Pawtucketville neighborhood with his wife, Uta, who died in August 2026. Daniel Rourke, a former Lowell mayor, worked with Musgray in court and said the veteran rarely discussed his combat history.
The push for the upgrade began with Jason Thomas, a manager for Veterans Programs at the Massachusetts Trial Court. Thomas contacted Ellie Morales, a law professor at Wake Forest University. Morales directed her law students to research the case. The team spent years gathering documents and interviews to build the application package.
The final submission was hundreds of pages long. Congressman Pat Harrigan, a former Green Beret, endorsed the file. It was submitted to the Army in the spring of 2025. The Army will now recommend whether to upgrade the award to the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, or keep it at the Silver Star level.
The recommendation will move to the Department of War and then to the secretary of war. Because the battle took place nearly 60 years ago, Congress must pass a law to waive the time limit. Once that waiver is enacted, the president makes the final decision.
Musgray lives in his home in Pawtucketville, where he keeps his medals and military artifacts. He is in his early 80s. He described his life in the military as his whole job and called his career lucky.
