An ordinary man........

......who like so many men of the greatest generation did extraordinary things when called upon to serve.
I didn't know Richard Ryback. He was born & raised, along with his 2 brothers & 2 sisters, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1943 he enlisted in the Marine Corps & in 1944 he saw action in the South Pacific, specifically at Saipan, Marianas Islands. "For heroic achievement in action against the enemy", he was awarded the Bronze Star & a Purple Heart....These are his medals.
After his service in the Marines he returned home to Milwaukee where he attended school & became a butcher, eventually owning his own grocery store, where the Italian & Polish sausage he made became a neighborhood favorite! He married & raised 3 children, & stayed active all his life. He liked to golf, & in later years he participated in the senior Olympics, went on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. & was honored in 4th of July parades as a WWII veteran.
I never met Richard Ryback, but on April 12, 2014 I attended his funeral service. He was 91 years old.
I think so often that the youth of our nation idolize the "notorious" or the "bizzare" or the "celebrities", when the true heroes are much closer to home. They are in every neighborhood...ordinary men & women who answer the call to serve.
Today is Memorial Day--a day when we remember all the men & women who have so valiantly served their country, so it's only fitting that we pay homage to Richard & to all the others who have served so proudly & sacrificed so much to preserve our freedom!