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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;"><a href="https://usmalibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/assembly/id/6341/page/0/inline/assembly_6341_0">https://usmalibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/assembly/id/6341/page/0/inline/assembly_6341_0</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><em><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Assembly</span></em><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">, January 1990, vol. 48, no. 4, p. 157.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">WALTER JOSEPH RYAN</span></strong></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">NO. 20484 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Class of 1955</span></strong></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Died December 25, 1987, in New York, New York, aged 54 years.</span></strong></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Interment: Arlington National Cemetery</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Walter Joseph Ryan died on Christmas Day 1987 of a heart attack, having recently learned that he had cancer of the colon. Memorial masses were conducted for him at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and at the Blessed Sacrament Church in New Rochelle, New York. He was buried beside his father at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on 11 January 1988. The ceremony was presided over by his classmate Major General Donald C. Hilbert. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Walt was born into the Army at San Francisco, California on 18 February 1933 to Cornelius Edward Ryan and Inez Brown Ryan. His father ultimately retired from the Army as a major general. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Walt graduated from Carlisle High School, Pennsylvania, and attended Stanton Preparatory Academy in Cornwall, New York for a year before receiving his appointment to the Military Academy. As a cadet, Walt was a gentleman scholar and tactician, but a staunch defender of classical music, the Pointer, and the Irish contributions to civilization. Walt was truly well liked as a cadet, and it was aptly said by his classmates in the Howitzer that "it would be a pleasure to soldier with Walt anywhere." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">On graduation, Walt was commissioned in the Infantry and included in his whirlwind tour of Fort Benning, the Airborne and Ranger courses. His first assignment was with the 12th Armored Infantry Battalion (3d Battalion, 41st Infantry originally), 2d Armored Division in Germany. When that division left Germany, Walt transferred to the 3d Battle Group, 6th Infantry in Berlin. There Walt was in his glory as a young bachelor officer in an international military community. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Walt returned to the United States in 1959 for duty with the 1st Battle Group, 3rd Infantry at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. He served with the Arlington burial detail, the unit which would conduct his own burial with such reverence and respect. From 1960-61, he was in Korea as an aide de camp for the assistant division commander of the 7th Infantry Division. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">In July 1964, Walt deployed to Vietnam as an advisor to Regional Forces/ Popular Forces in Kien-Phong Province. Here, on St. Patrick's Day 1965, Walt was wounded in action with Vietnamese forces. Walt considered the happy outcome of the experience to have been clearly the doings of St. Patrick himself. After a short tour with the ROTC detachment at Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Walt returned to Vietnam in 1966 for another advisory tour as the senior advisor to the district chief of Dak-To District. From Vietnam, Walt was assigned to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters, United States Army Europe. He returned to Fort Riley, Kansas for duty as a company commander with the 2d Battle Group, 12th Infantry. There, he separated honorably from the Army in September 1969. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Walt took a year off to tour the world and then attended York University in Toronto, Canada for a year of law studies and another year of Canadian history. From there, he returned to the United States for work in New York, initially in the personnel field, but ultimately as a paralegal in large New York law firms. Law and history were Walt's fortes even as a cadet. His sister tells the story from one of his lawyer friends, of Walt being called in by one of the firm's young lawyers who was in a bind over a difficult closing. Walt was confronted with a "Do we sign on this line? Where does the seller sign?" and was able to respond "We don't sign anything and you need an XYZ before you can accept their signature." The awed opposing counsel's comment was "You didn't have to call in a senior partner, Ms. Webster!" </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Walt was remembered by all for his wit, charm, and optimistic spirit. He was proud to be Irish to the core, loved his Army and his God. We knew him as one who was at peace with the world and happy with his fate at any given moment. Unknown to most of us, Walt had his demons and they cost him personally much of what he held dear. Nonetheless, he followed his life's motto of "press on regardless" to the end. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">Walt was awarded the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster; the Purple Heart; the Air Medal; and the Combat Infantryman, Ranger, Airborne, and Expert Infantryman badges. He is survived by his mother; a sister, Elizabeth, of New York, New York; and a brother, Edward, of Toronto, Canada. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0in 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">From Walt to Walt, an Irish blessing— </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0in 1.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">May the road rise to meet you, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0in 1.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">May the wind be always at your back, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0in 1.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">May the sun shine warm upon your face, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0in 1.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">the rains fall soft upon your fields</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0in 1.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">and, until we meet again, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0in 1.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;">May God hold you in the palm of His hand. </span></p>
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