Ryan was born in Phoenix, Arizona. After high school, he attended Arizona State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in Justice Studies. During his education at Arizona State, Ryan completed the Army ROTC program and was commissioned as an Armor officer.
After completion of Army Officer Basic and Airborne schools, Ryan’s first duty station was Ft. Riley, KS where he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 13th Armor Regiment. Ryan deployed to Taji, Iraq in February 2005 where he led patrols, raids, and cordon and searches in the area surrounding the base. On November 29, 2005 while returning from an early morning cordon and search, Ryan’s vehicle was hit with IED buried in the road.
His injuries resulted in the catastrophic amputation of his right arm and left leg.
After being evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Ryan remained in a coma for two weeks before slowly beginning rehabilitation. Ryan retired from the Army as a Captain in May 2007 and he and his wife decided to relocate to the Washington, D.C. area.
Currently Ryan works with Wounded Warrior Project, one of the organizations that played a large role in his recovery, as the Combat Stress Recovery Program Director. Ryan oversees the operation of the CSRP team who facilitate events focused on increasing resiliency and physiological well-being.
Ryan enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Nancy, and their three children; Jillian (12), Liv (10), and Evan (8).
