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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Profile: Fred Ryan was born December 14. 1921, the second son of the prominent New England attorney, John F. Ryan. He, his two brothers, and one sister were raised in the Boston suburb of Newton, Massachusetts. His father passed away when Fred was ten years old leaving his mother to raise the four children on her own.
Fred was attending Boston University when World War II began. He answered the call to serve his country by joining the Army Air Corps where he took up flight training. He was designated a pilot on June 27. 1944 and immediately was assigned to fly B-24 bombers. He became part of the 13th Air Force. XIII Bomber Command, 868th Bomb Squadron. This group, known as the B-24 Snoopers, conducted low-level, night, all weather, anti-ship, radar-bombing missions in the Pacific area during World War II.
Fred left the Air Force briefly after World War II to complete his degree at Boston University and then returned to the military which he made his career. He became part of the Strategic Air Command so vital to the success of the cold war. Among the airplanes he flew, in addition to the B-24 were the B-17, B-25, B-29. B-36 and B-47. He and his wife Beth (Hartman) met at Langley, Virginia, where Beth had been stationed as a WAVE during World War II. The couple served at many bases in the United States and overseas while they raised three children. During his military career he accumulated approximately 6000 hours flying time with over 3000 hours in the B-47.
He left flight activities in March 1962 due to degraded eyesight caused by macular degeneration - possibly related to his many hours of high altitude flying. He continued to serve in the Air Force until retirement when the family settled in Southern California. He passed away May 5, 1993.