bobdina
10-12-2009, 11:49 AM
SEAL Gets Silver for Deterring Enemies
October 12, 2009
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
Senior Chief Petty Officer Philip Ryan III sounded pretty low key when he called his father in Orange Park a few weeks ago.
What are you doing next Tuesday, Ryan asked his father, himself a Navy veteran. Why, the older man wondered.
Oh, the secretary of the Navy is coming down to give me a Silver Star, replied Ryan, a Navy SEAL who was recently decorated for actions during combat in Afghanistan in 2007.
"He's just so humble," said his father, Philip Ryan Jr.
The younger Ryan received the third-highest medal for valor given by the U.S. military for events that happened while he led a SEAL team tracking insurgents in June 2007, according to an unclassified version of the award citation.
"His courageous actions and bold guidance saved lives, disrupted imminent terrorist planning and resulted in the elimination of several enemy combatants," the citation said.
His father was a bit less formal. "They tracked these guys for a long time," he said this week. "When they kicked in the door, they were in the final stages of planning something bad. That's just what he does."
As well as pulling a twice-wounded team member to safety, the senior chief cared for three other wounded team members while continuing to press the fight as part of an outnumbered force, showing "superb tactical leadership and poise under fire," the citation said.
At least 63 other Silver Stars have been awarded to Navy personnel during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recipients are believed to be members of the Naval Special Warfare Command, to which SEALs belong. The command did not return calls for comment.
Ryan receiving the medal came as no surprise, said Mike Getka, his brother-in-law and a former SEAL who went through training at the same time.
"He's your quintessential SEAL," Getka said. "He has a phenomenal reputation. He won't even look at what he did as anything extraordinary."
Now 43, Ryan joined the Navy two decades ago, his father said, following the older man's footsteps into the service. Ryan Jr., who commanded the defense courier service at Jacksonville Naval Air Station before retiring, was the first Sailor in a family of Soldiers. He spent his career as a cryptologist, specializing in the Soviet navy.
His son opted relatively late in life to enlist, deciding at 23 that his life needed more direction.
Having enjoyed swimming, it was natural for him to decide to become a diver. "And if he was going to be a diver, he was going to be a SEAL," his father said.
Over the years, Ryan has belonged to a number of SEAL teams, including serving as one of the first assigned to Team 10 and working with the Special Warfare Development Group.
The elder Ryan beams with pride as he talks about his son, recalling the first time he saw him wearing the SEAL trident.
Along with that pride, the retired chief warrant officer realizes exactly how much danger his son's profession places him in.
"I have that little bit of burning fear in my gut when he goes away," he said. "The only thing I can fall back on is he's received the best training. Those are the only things that can give you any comfort at all."
October 12, 2009
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
Senior Chief Petty Officer Philip Ryan III sounded pretty low key when he called his father in Orange Park a few weeks ago.
What are you doing next Tuesday, Ryan asked his father, himself a Navy veteran. Why, the older man wondered.
Oh, the secretary of the Navy is coming down to give me a Silver Star, replied Ryan, a Navy SEAL who was recently decorated for actions during combat in Afghanistan in 2007.
"He's just so humble," said his father, Philip Ryan Jr.
The younger Ryan received the third-highest medal for valor given by the U.S. military for events that happened while he led a SEAL team tracking insurgents in June 2007, according to an unclassified version of the award citation.
"His courageous actions and bold guidance saved lives, disrupted imminent terrorist planning and resulted in the elimination of several enemy combatants," the citation said.
His father was a bit less formal. "They tracked these guys for a long time," he said this week. "When they kicked in the door, they were in the final stages of planning something bad. That's just what he does."
As well as pulling a twice-wounded team member to safety, the senior chief cared for three other wounded team members while continuing to press the fight as part of an outnumbered force, showing "superb tactical leadership and poise under fire," the citation said.
At least 63 other Silver Stars have been awarded to Navy personnel during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recipients are believed to be members of the Naval Special Warfare Command, to which SEALs belong. The command did not return calls for comment.
Ryan receiving the medal came as no surprise, said Mike Getka, his brother-in-law and a former SEAL who went through training at the same time.
"He's your quintessential SEAL," Getka said. "He has a phenomenal reputation. He won't even look at what he did as anything extraordinary."
Now 43, Ryan joined the Navy two decades ago, his father said, following the older man's footsteps into the service. Ryan Jr., who commanded the defense courier service at Jacksonville Naval Air Station before retiring, was the first Sailor in a family of Soldiers. He spent his career as a cryptologist, specializing in the Soviet navy.
His son opted relatively late in life to enlist, deciding at 23 that his life needed more direction.
Having enjoyed swimming, it was natural for him to decide to become a diver. "And if he was going to be a diver, he was going to be a SEAL," his father said.
Over the years, Ryan has belonged to a number of SEAL teams, including serving as one of the first assigned to Team 10 and working with the Special Warfare Development Group.
The elder Ryan beams with pride as he talks about his son, recalling the first time he saw him wearing the SEAL trident.
Along with that pride, the retired chief warrant officer realizes exactly how much danger his son's profession places him in.
"I have that little bit of burning fear in my gut when he goes away," he said. "The only thing I can fall back on is he's received the best training. Those are the only things that can give you any comfort at all."