William John Van Ryzin (April 20, 1914 – July 1, 2002) was a highly decorated officer of the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
with the rank of
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
. He is most noted as
Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
.
Early career
Van Ryzin was born in
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh)
is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...
and attended local high school there. Van Ryzin subsequently enrolled at
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
, and graduated with
Bachelor degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
in June 1935. During his university years, he gained his first experiences with the military as a member of ROTC unit. Upon his graduation, Van Ryzin entered the Marine Corps service and was commissioned second lieutenant on July 8, 1935.
He was subsequently sent to
the Basic School
The Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed (for warrant officers) United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an "Officer of Marines". The Basic School is located at Camp Barrett, Quantico, Vir ...
at
Philadelphia Navy Yard
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries.
Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...
for basic officer training which he completed in May 1936. With 124 students, it was the largest Basic School class to that date. This class provided two future
Marine Corps Commandants (
Leonard F. Chapman Jr.
Leonard Fielding Chapman Jr. (November 3, 1913 – January 6, 2000) was a United States Marine Corps general who served as the 24th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1968 to 1972. He was a World War II combat veteran, decorated for his actions ...
and
Robert E. Cushman Jr.
Robert Everton Cushman Jr. (December 24, 1914 – January 2, 1985) was a United States Marine Corps General (United States), four-star general who served as the 25th commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1972, to June 30, 1975. He was hon ...
), five lieutenant generals (
Lewis J. Fields
Lewis Jefferson Fields (October 1, 1909 – March 5, 1988) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general. He served with 1st Marine Division (United State ...
,
Frederick E. Leek,
Herman Nickerson Jr.
Herman Nickerson Jr. (30 July 1913 – 27 December 2000) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general. A veteran of several wars, he distinguished himself during the Korean War as commanding ...
, Van Ryzin,
Richard G. Weede), five major generals (
William R. Collins
William Robert Collins (February 5, 1913 – October 16, 1991) was a highly decorated officer of United States Marine Corps with the rank of major general. As lieutenant colonel, Collins distinguished himself as Tank Battalion Commander during I ...
,
William T. Fairbourn,
Bruno Hochmuth
Bruno Arthur Hochmuth (May 10, 1911 – November 14, 1967) was a United States Marine Corps major general who was killed in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He was the first and only Marine Corps division commander to be killed in any ...
,
Raymond L. Murray
Major General Raymond Leroy Murray (January 30, 1913 – November 11, 2004) was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps officer who earned two Navy Crosses, one during World War II and a second during the Korean War. He retired from activ ...
,
Carey A. Randall
Carey Allen Randall (November 15, 1912 – April 26, 2008) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of Major general (United States), major general. A veteran of World War II, he is most noted for his service ...
) and six brigadier generals (
William W. Buchanan,
Odell M. Conoley
Odell Maurice Conoley (November 9, 1913September 1, 1993) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general, who is most noted for his service with 2nd Battalion ...
,
Frederick P. Henderson,
Roy L. Kline
Roy Lewis Kline (September 10, 1914 – May 11, 2020) was a decorated naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. A veteran of World War II, he distinguished himself as assistant air officer on the staff of ...
,
John C. Miller Jr.,
Thomas F. Riley
Thomas Felton Riley (July 6, 1912 – February 19, 1998) was a decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. He is most noted for his service during the Guadalcanal Campaign as the commanding officer of ...
).
Van Ryzin was subsequently sent to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, where he was assigned to the Marine detachment at American Embassy in
Peiping
"Beijing" is from pinyin ''Běijīng,'' which is romanized from , the Chinese name for this city. The pinyin system of transliteration was approved by the Chinese government in 1958, but little used until 1979. It was gradually adopted by various ...
. He spent almost next three years with guard duties and was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in August 1938.
In February 1939, Van Ryzin returned to the United States and was posted to the garrison at
Marine Corps Base at
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. While in San Diego, he was assigned to the
1st Defense Battalion, which was activated there at the beginning of November 1939 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
Bertram A. Bone
Bertram Allison Bone (September 19, 1893 – October 22, 1961) was a decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general. He is most noted for his service as commanding officer ...
. For this assignment, Van Ryzin was ordered for the
antiaircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes Surface-to-air m ...
course at Coast Artillery School at
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
in August 1940.
He finished the course in December of that year and following a short
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
leave, he rejoined 1st Defense Battalion at the beginning of January 1941, which meanwhile relocated to
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. Van Ryzin was promoted to the rank of captain in May 1941 and appointed commanding officer of the Three-inch antiaircraft artillery group stationed at
Palmyra Island
Palmyra Atoll (), also referred to as Palmyra Island, is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati). It is located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, roughly one-third of the way between Hawaii an ...
within 1st Defense Battalion. When Japanese
attacked the Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, his unit participated in the
antiaircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes Surface-to-air m ...
defense and Van Ryzin was later decorated with the
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
with
Combat "V"
Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
for meritorious service in this capacity. Meanwhile, he was promoted to the rank of major in May 1942.
Van Ryzin was transferred back to
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
and assigned to the staff of Marine Garrison Forces, 14th Naval District under Major General
Harry K. Pickett. His new command was responsible for all Marine barracks and detachments securing Pacific naval bases, stations, and installations.
His next orders brought him to
Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilmingt ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
in May 1943 and after his promotion to the rank of
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
during the following month, he was appointed commanding officer of 18th Antiaircraft Battalion, which was later re-designated 18th Defense Battalion. Van Ryzin led his unit overseas in August 1944 and took part in the occupation and defense of
Tinian
Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of th ...
within
Marianas Islands Campaign.
Lieutenant Colonel Van Ryzin was transferred to
12th Marine Regiment under Colonel
Joseph W. Earnshaw
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
in April 1945. He served first as
3rd Battalion commander and later as regimental
executive officer
An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...
, before he was appointed assistant chief of staff for personnel of
3rd Marine Division
The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with th ...
under Major General
William E. Riley
William Edward Riley (February 2, 1897 – April 28, 1970) was a lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps, who served on the staff of Admiral William Halsey Jr. during World War II. He is also Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce ...
.
During this time, his division was stationed on
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
and trained for the upcoming
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, th ...
, Allied invasion to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. But following the
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
in September 1945, 3rd Division received deactivation orders.
Later career
Following World War II, he participated in the occupation of North China. Afterward, he served in a variety of staff assignments, including several billets at
Headquarters Marine Corps
Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The function, ...
, and later, as chief of staff for the
Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Gen Van Ryzin commanded the
2d Marine Division
The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina a ...
from 1963 to 1965, and during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, served for three months as deputy commander,
III Marine Amphibious Force
III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and d ...
. He retired from active duty with the Marine Corps in 1971.
Retirement
Following retirement, he was involved in various professional and charitable activities in Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,734 at the time of ...
. He was a founding member of the Historic Shepherdstown Commission and helped restore the historic Entler Hotel
Rumsey Hall, also known as the Entler Hotel, is an historic building in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The building is located in the center of the Shepherdstown Historic District and is a composite of six separate phases of construction. The ear ...
. For his volunteer work with the Jefferson County United Way, he was awarded the Tocqueville Award.[
Van Ryzin married twice and had two children, one of whom became a ]colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
in the military. He was also active in the United Way of America
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016.
United Way organizations raise funds ...
, the Forty and Eight
''La Société des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux'' ( en, "The Society of 40 Men and 8 Horses"), commonly known as the Forty and Eight, is a nonprofit organization of U.S. veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. ...
, and was a member of the Trinity Episcopal Church. Van Ryzin died on July 1, 2002, in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Decorations
Here is the ribbon bar of Lieutenant General William J. Van Ryzin:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Ryzin, William J.
1914 births
2002 deaths
People from Appleton, Wisconsin
Military personnel from Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
United States Marine Corps generals
American people of Dutch descent
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War
Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the National Order of Vietnam
Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam)