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Ryan, Gordon G.

Gordon G. Ryan U.S. Army WWII
Gordon G. Ryan U.S. Army WWII


 
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Date of Birth: 10/21/1923
Died On: 10/27/2004 Last Residence: 31321 Pembroke, Bryan, Georgia
Street Address: Brevoort Lane
Service Number: unknown
Branch of Service: U.S. Army - 10th Mountain Division


Veteran Code: USARMY-564


BIOGRAPHY
 
Gordon G. Ryan


Gordon G. Ryan was born in Manhattan, New York, October 21, 1923, son of Helen Kirwan Ryan and Gerard Aloysius Ryan. Gordon grew up in Westchester County, NY and was a graduate in English from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and edited the campus paper ''The Hoya''.

He had two brothers Peter and Gerald. In Rye his family lived on 11 Ridgewood Drive and were members of the Church of the Resurrection.

Gordon enlisted in U.S. Army during World War II.

He served in the 10th Mountain Division, U.S. Army Ski Troops, trained in Colorado then served in Northern Italy as an infantryman and was awarded the Purple Heart. He was the regimental correspondent for the ''SKIZETTE'' 10th Mountain Division Newspaper.

After the war, Gordon resided in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and worked in advertising for Sports Illustrated, Holiday and Look Magazines. He later ran a statewide political campaign and was the General Manager of the ''Philadelphia Eagles Exclusive''. He was an active member of many organizations and boards including The Civil War Roundtable.

He moved to Pembroke, Georgia in t he early 1990s where he worked as a sportswriter and photographer for the Bryan County Times. He was a member of the Hometown Task Force, the Bicentennial Commission and the Library Board where he served as Chairman for one year. He was a Roman Catholic and he was a communicant of St. Anne's Catholic Church, Richmond Hill, Georgia.

Gordon G. Ryan, Sr., 81, died Wednesday, October 27, 2004 at Bryan County Health and Rehabilitation Center where he had lived for one year.

He was survived by his children, Gordon G. Ryan of Pembroke, Georgia, Robert B. Ryan of Phoenixville, PA, Peter K. Ryan of Douglasville, PA, Harry Kyle Ryan of Upper Darby, PA, Nancy C. Ryan of Chesnutt Hill, PA, David M. Ryan of King of Prussia, PA and Noreen Ryan Gilbert of Collegeville, PA; brother, Jerry Ryan of Bahama, North Carolina; eighteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass was held on Monday, November 1, 2004 at St. Anne's Catholic Church. Burial was at St. Agnes Cemetery Westchester, PA.


10th Mountain Division Newspaper. Rye Men in Mountain Division Making War History in Italy
A number of Rye men are in the U. S. 10th Mountain Division ski troops which has been making war history in Italy this past week. The Division repulsed a strong German counterattack in the Bologna area. Some of the Rye men who have been trained with this outfit, are believed to be in this latest sortie. They include Captain Lawrence Rainsford in the Medical unit, son of Dr. and Mns. Lawrenee Rainsford, Blind Brook Lodge; Major John Gundy, Division Medical Inspector, whose wife lives on Greenleaf Street; Pfc. Gordon Ryan, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Ryan, Ridgewood Drive; Pfc. John A. Tony Dyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Dyer, Midland Avenue; T-4 Robert Langeloh, son of Mr. and Mm. Edward J. Langeloh, Winthrop Street; Pfc. Robert Lathrop. son of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Lathrop, Blind Brook Lodge; Pfc. David Close, son of Mrs. Stuart Close and the late Mr. Close, formerly of Rye; Major Louis Thorne, psychiatri-st in the Medical unit, son of Samuel Thorne. Post Road; Pfc. Robert Ritz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ritz, Apawamis Avenue. These men have undergone a rigorous, specialized training program before going overseas. The curriculum of the mountain infantry is to dig into a snow bank and wait; take long marches through a cutting wind at a temperature well below zero; eat, sleep, work and live in the bitterness of the cold and wet. They have to be mule packers, rock climbers and mountaineers in general, because the caissons dont go rolling along in the mountains. All the way, along broken trails cr through soft, knee-deep snow, artillery equipment has to be handlugged or mule-packed. The snow training is not restricted to the infantry and artillery, but is equally a vital part of the training of the Medics, the Signal Corps and the Engineers. A release from the Army was broadcast over Station WABC on Sunday morning revealing the activities of the Division, which had been cloaked in secrecy until that time. It stated, This morning the American troops that have been operating on Mount Belvedere have been publicly named the 10th Mountain Division. This is the unit of soldiers for mountain fighting that trained for so long at Camp Hale in the Rocky Mountains near Denver. The first element went into the line in the Appennine Mountains on January 9 and all the Division was committed before the end of the month. For several weeks, they showed their stuff in long range patrolling deep into the enemy lines, some of them getting a chance to use their -skiis, but if the public has visions of thousands of white-clad figures racing downhill with tommy guns rattling, they will be disillusioned. Most of the snow has gone and the most characteristic performance by these boys is taking loads that would break lesser mens backs, going up steep trails where even the mules refuse to go. The 10th Mountain Division got the once over from their veteran neighbors the Brazilian troops who have been here for a long time. The verdict was that it showed the snappiest saluting imaginable straight out of the book but the 10th looked like a real fighting outfit, just the same, and now they have proved it. The commander is Major General G. P. Hayes, who won the medal of honor in the last war and fought at Normandy in this war.
PAGE EIGHT THE RYE CHRONICLE Friday, March 2, 1945


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  0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 
5 of 5 Gordon Ryan was my grandfather. November 28, 2023
Reviewer: Patrick Ryan from [email protected]  
I found this site after a random googling session, and watching Band of Brothers.  I knew all about my grandfather and his military service, and his wounds, but this is really neat.  I had to show his son David, my father, after I found it.  I think both of us got a kick out of seeing his enlistment paper.

I just wanted to say thank you, and on the off chance you might have any more information I was going to request it.

Thanks for doing this.

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