Herndon was born on Jan. 12, 1938, in Houston. His career in journalism began when he volunteered for the U.S. Army and became editor for the Pacific Stars and Stripes’ Tokyo bureau.
After the Army, Herndon joined UPI in 1962 and was sent to Asia to cover the Laos War and the Vietnam War.
Herndon became part of a group of reporters later known as the “Boys of Saigon,” famous for their dynamic and often controversial coverage of the Vietnam War.
The group included Pulitzer Prize winning journalists David Halberstam of the New York Times, Neil Sheehan of UPI, and Peter Arnett of the Associated Press.
"Ray was a splendid journalist because he had both physical and moral courage," Neil Sheehan told the Los Angles Times, "Ray really believed in …show more content…
He recalled the competitive excitement as the war news began attracting headlines in America’s newspapers and he smiled at the failed attempts by the Kennedy administration and the Saigon government to sabotage truthful coverage with lies and physical threats.”
After UPI, Herndon went on to work for the St. Petersburg Times, the Miami Herald, the Dallas Times Herald and ultimately for the Los Angeles Times.
During his stint at the Dallas Times Herald, Herndon wrote a series of investigative stories on Michael Anthony Woten, who at the time was serving a 55-year sentence for robbery. Woten claimed he could not have committed the robbery because he was hitchhiking at the time. Through Herndon’s efforts, the trucker that gave Woten a ride was located, verifying his story. Woten was given a pardon and Herndon was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism.
Herndon retired from the Los Angeles Times in 2004.
Ray Herndon is survived by his wife Annie, and his sons Paul and Philip, and a
After the Army, Herndon joined UPI in 1962 and was sent to Asia to cover the Laos War and the Vietnam War.
Herndon became part of a group of reporters later known as the “Boys of Saigon,” famous for their dynamic and often controversial coverage of the Vietnam War.
The group included Pulitzer Prize winning journalists David Halberstam of the New York Times, Neil Sheehan of UPI, and Peter Arnett of the Associated Press.
"Ray was a splendid journalist because he had both physical and moral courage," Neil Sheehan told the Los Angles Times, "Ray really believed in …show more content…
He recalled the competitive excitement as the war news began attracting headlines in America’s newspapers and he smiled at the failed attempts by the Kennedy administration and the Saigon government to sabotage truthful coverage with lies and physical threats.”
After UPI, Herndon went on to work for the St. Petersburg Times, the Miami Herald, the Dallas Times Herald and ultimately for the Los Angeles Times.
During his stint at the Dallas Times Herald, Herndon wrote a series of investigative stories on Michael Anthony Woten, who at the time was serving a 55-year sentence for robbery. Woten claimed he could not have committed the robbery because he was hitchhiking at the time. Through Herndon’s efforts, the trucker that gave Woten a ride was located, verifying his story. Woten was given a pardon and Herndon was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism.
Herndon retired from the Los Angeles Times in 2004.
Ray Herndon is survived by his wife Annie, and his sons Paul and Philip, and a