Thomas Ryan

United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient (1901–1970)

Thomas John Ryan, Jr. (August 5, 1901 – January 28, 1970) was a career American naval officer who rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. He received the Medal of Honor during peacetime.[1]

Medal of Honor citation

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Ryan receiving the Medal of Honor from President Calvin Coolidge, March 15, 1924

Ryan's Medal of Honor recognized his conduct in Japan during the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.[2]

The words of Williams' citation explain:

For heroism in effecting the rescue of a woman from the burning Grand Hotel, Yokohama, Japan, on 1 September 1923. Following the earthquake and fire which occurred in Yokohama on 1 September, Ens. Ryan, with complete disregard for his own life, extricated a woman from the Grand Hotel, thus saving her life. His heroic conduct upon this occasion reflects the greatest credit on himself and on the U.S. Navy, of which he is a part.[1]

References

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Medal of Honor
  1. 1.0 1.1 US Army Center of Military History, "Medal of Honor Recipients, Interim Awards, 1920-1940" Archived 2010-04-20 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-11-23.
  2. Naval Historical Center, "The Medal of Honor, Navy Medals of Honor, 1861-1941" Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine, Photo #NH 46075; retrieved 2011-11-23.