Interviewed by

Megan Farrell and Rachel Pranga

“We gotta get out of this place if it's the last thing we ever do!”

~ Richard Ryder (37:23)

Richard Ryder's Story:

Richard Ryder is one of the many heroes who bravely served for the United States during the Vietnam War. He was born and raised in Chatham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod where his father was a fisherman for fifty-six years. He was only nineteen when he graduated from the Stockbridge School at UMass Amherst, after studying dairy technology, and enlisted in the military in 1959. He choose to serve in the US Navy because the recruiter recognized his skill at reading a microscope and knew he would make a great Hospital Corpsman.

After four years Mr. Ryder returned home, however it was not long before the war began and he received orders to go to Vietnam. Although he did not support the war, he felt obligated to serve his country. In 1965 he was stationed on an aircraft carrier called the USS Intrepid CVS - 11 off the coast of Vietnam and went on an eight month cruise. The ship was cramped with 3,400 men and he had to endure excessive heat and humidity. Throughout his Navy experience, Mr. Ryder visited many different places including Cuba, Italy, Pompeii, Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia.

As a pharmacy technician, Mr. Ryder worked long hours in many different hospitals and completed tasks ranging from fingerprinting and tagging dead bodies to performing “dirty surgery” on soldiers. It was not easy, Mr. Ryder found himself thousands of miles from home and did not have much contact with his family except occasionally being able to send back letters and cassette tapes.

Throughout his service, Mr. Ryder went through numerous hardships, was forced to make many tough decisions, and even lost several friends. The most difficult part of his service was having to prepare the body of a close companion who was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas and died in a brave attempt to save a fellow corpsman. Although he did not sign up for direct combat, safety was not ensured. He often found himself in risky situations where death could have been right around the corner. Sometimes Mr. Ryder and his team would drive out through open fields of rice patties in a Jeep to reach a medical clinic. This was a dangerous task because they were exposed to potential enemies, who could have been hiding, ready to ambush them. Sometimes they would pass an upside-down truck that had been blown up by a mine. They could have been killed at any moment and learned to accept that if one's time was up, there was nothing they could do about it.

Mr. Ryder ended up spending twenty years in the Medical Department before nobly retiring as a Navy Officer. He now peacefully resides in Eastham Massachusetts. Mr. Ryder says that overall he had a good military experience. He enjoyed the beautiful cities and gardens in Vietnam but believes two decades of service was way too long to be away from home. Mr. Ryder hopes that young Juniors and Seniors in high school will consider going into the Navy, but also encourages them not to be afraid of joining the Coast Guard where women and men have equal opportunities. Despite what he has been through, Mr. Ryder remains very loyal to his country. If America found itself in times of trouble again, and he was asked to go back, he would not decline.