| From Camp Patriot: campatriot.org
02/22/13:
Patriot Profile
Ryan Job, Navy SEAL
March 11, 1981 - September 24, 2009
Duty, Honor, Sacrifice
Special Operator 2nd Class, Ryan Job, Navy SEAL
Ryan was raised in Issaquah, Washington. He was a high school athlete who loved to hunt and had a passion for flying. He earned his private pilots licence about the same time he received his drivers license. His dream was to become a Navy SEAL then a fighter pilot, to marry a beautiful woman and live on a Ranch with a hoard of kids. Ryan graduated from Issaquah High School in 1999 then attended the University of Washington for 3 years before enlisting in the Navy in 2002. He completed Navy boot camp and reported to BUDS Training, a year later he had become one of the elite; a Navy SEAL. In April 2006 he deployed to Ramadi, Al Anbar, Iraq as a member of SEAL Team 3, Task Unit Bruiser. During this time Ramadi was the most dangerous place in the world. In fact, a secretly leaked Marine Corps report stated that;
"Al Anbar had been lost and there was almost nothing that could be done."
Ryan conducted over 20 combat operations leading the way to the "Awakening of Al Anbar." On one of these missions he was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for saving the lives of his fellow SEALs. Ryan and his team were ambushed and pinned down in a narrow alley, risking his safety, Ryan stepped into the center of alley and provided cover fire while his team escaped behind him.
"I came across his Bronze Star and other medals in his closet, he never told me of them. I read the citation and asked; were you afraid? He told me that he was more afraid to let his team down than to be killed by the enemy. I think that Ryan was afraid, but he did it anyway. He did it because he loved the brothers that he trained and fought beside." Said Robert Vera, Ryan's friend.
On the morning of August 2, 2006 on a roof top in Ramadi, Ryan was shot in the face by a sniper. While his SEALs worked to save his life, Ryan regained consciousness, told them that he was OK, then as if raising from the dead he stood up and evacuated himself while his team covered him as they shot their way to an awaiting Bradley. Ryan said that if it were not for his training and his fellow SEALs who cared for him, he would have died that day. The wound rendered Ryan totally blind, forcing him to medically retire from the Navy.
Conquering Blindness
Ryan was great at being blind. He never complained, never made excuses. In July of 2008 Ryan traveled to Washington to climb the 14,411 Mount Rainier as a member of the Camp Patriot's Summit Challenge Team.
"I read a description of the climb to him which stated that 50% of all climbers that attempt to reach the summit don't make it. Ryan told me the he would be in the other 50%.", recalled Robert Vera, Ryan's friend.
As they climbed toward the summit, Ryan followed his Camp Patriot guides, the rope kept them within feet of each other. The 14,411-foot summit of Mount Rainier lay ahead. "Every step they told me to take, I took," Ryan recalled. "Trust was the key factor to my success. I totally trusted the team."
Sure enough on July 9, 2008, Ryan stood on the rooftop of Mount Rainier, less than 2 years after he cheated death on a rooftop in Iraq. Camp Patriot arranged for two F-15 fighters to fly directly over his head so that he knew that he had made it to the top.
"The summit was amazing, even for a blind man," Ryan said. "I could sense that nothing was above my head because of the wide-open sound and wind, the two F-15 fighters buzzing the top was an awesome confirmation, I could feel them!"
Husband, Father & Scholar
In March 2007, Ryan married Kelly in San Diego and then moved to Scottsdale, AZ to resume their degree programs. In 2009 Kelly became pregnant with their first child, a daughter who was born on April 1, 2010.
As part of ongoing treatments for his wounds, Ryan underwent multiple surgeries to repair the damage to his face. On September 24, 2009 during recovery from his most recent surgery, Ryan passed away unexpectedly.
Ryan had just completed his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration in September 2009 from Jones International University, and was preparing to start an MBA program. Illustrative of his dedication and motivation is the fact that he graduated with a 4.0 grade point average despite being blind. He completed an Internship with General Dynamics, where he was to be employed.
In Ryan's Honor
SEAL Teams, police, fire, athletes and friends from across the globe have established a fundraising event in Honor of Ryan. Participant's donate $10, $20 or some other amount online to do the same workout that Ryan did to prepare for his Mt. Rainier climb. The goal is to raise $100,000 in Ryan's name by January 10, 2013. All proceeds to benefit Camp Patriot.
Ryan's Legacy
Ryan was an incredibly dynamic and motivational man who gave of himself to many organizations and individuals. He was Camp Patriot's National Spokesman, and with the help of Camp Patriot, Ryan summited Mt. Rainier and bagged a magnificent elk in 2008. He then returned to help other injured veterans climb Mt. Rainier in 2009.
Ryan's story has inspired 1,000's and has motivated other wounded veterans to climb Mt. Rainier as part of Camp Patriots annual Summit Challenge event. The Best Selling Book; American Sniper, is dedicated in Ryan's memory. Ryan put others before himself, both in military service and in his personal life.
Ryan was a combat-decorated warrior who's awards include; Naval Special Warfare Insignia, the Navy Parachutist Insignia, Silver Star and Bronze Star Medals both with Valor, Purple Heart, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Distinction, Navy Achievement Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Expert Rifle and Pistol Medals.
Ryan is loved and greatly missed. |
From KATU TV katu.com
09/25/09:
Wash. native injured in Iraq dies after surgery
by KOMO Staff
Originally printed at https://www.katu.com/news/local/61479967.html
SEATTLE -- A Washington native and Navy veteran has died after undergoing surgery to treat an injury he sustained while serving in Iraq, his friends and family said Friday.
Ryan Job, 28, died early Thursday after a 12-hour surgery to repair his eye socket.
Job was blinded on August 2, 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq when a sniper's bullet shattered the rifle he was holding.
It was not immediately clear exactly what caused his death, as friends said he seemed fine after the surgery at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix.
"I talked to him Tuesday -- he was in great spirits," said Mike Conklin, chairman of the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation. "He was in a little bit of pain, but... he wanted to get out of the hospital."
Conklin knew Job well and said the Navy SEAL was a recipient of a scholarship from the foundation, which provides assistance to injured soldiers.
Conklin said Job graduated from Jones International University with a 4.0 after he was wounded and was working for General Dynamics in Arizona.
"He was a smart kid and he had to learn all this from scratch, being blind," Conklin said. "Just a tremendously driven young man."
Job's family lives in Issaquah, and he was back in the area in July, 2008 to climb Mount Rainier with other injured servicemen.
Conklin said the surgery was the second in a series of three that had been scheduled, Conklin said.
"It just brings to light the fact that these war wounds never leave them," he said.
Job is survived by his wife, Kelly, who is pregnant with their first child and due in May. |
| From The Seattle Times seattletimes.com
09/26/09:
Obituary: Ryan Job was a spokesman for wounded veterans
By Lynn Thompson
Seattle Times staff reporter
Blinded by a sniper's bullet in Iraq, Ryan Job retained his characteristic determination and persistence. He climbed Mount Rainier, trained for a triathlon and became a spokesman for an organization that helps wounded veterans transition to civilian life.
"He didn't back down from any challenge," said a friend, Tyler Lein, of Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mr. Job, who grew up in Issaquah, died Thursday morning after major reconstructive surgery at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix. He was 28.
Mr. Job's younger brother, Aaron, served three tours of duty in Iraq with the Marines. The Seattle Times profiled the Job family during Aaron Job's deployments in 2003 and 2004.
A story on Ryan Job, a former Navy SEAL, reaching the summit of Mount Rainier appeared in July 2008.
The men's mother, Debbie Job, of Issaquah, said her son had taken on the challenge of blindness with the same strength with which he confronted other challenges in his life.
"He was determined not to be a disabled guy," his mother said Friday by phone from Arizona.
Ryan Job underwent an eight-hour surgery Monday to rebuild his face. The recovery seemed to be proceeding smoothly, his mother said, though her son reported some discomfort Wednesday night. A nurse checked on him at 3:30 a.m. Thursday. He was found unresponsive at 5 a.m. She said the hospital had not determined the cause of death.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," said Debbie Job. "It's a total shock."
Neighbors of the Job family on the Sammamish Plateau recalled Ryan Job as a strong, physically active young man who had been determined to join the elite Navy special-operations force, despite the grueling training regimen. Mr. Job regularly swam across Beaver Lake a few miles from his home and ran for hours before dawn, said Neil Iovino, a neighbor who watched the Job boys grow up.
"His goal was to be a Navy SEAL and it didn't matter how hard it was," Iovino said.
Ryan Job was born in 1981, the eldest of three children. He graduated from Issaquah High School in 1999 and joined the Navy in 2002. Mutual friends in San Diego, where he trained for the SEALS, introduced him to his future wife, Kelly. The couple married in 2007.
Mr. Job was on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006 when a sniper's bullet struck his rifle. Pieces of the shattered weapon tore through his face, destroying one eye and severing the optic nerves of the other.
After his injury, Mr. Job spent time in military hospitals in Maryland, Florida and finally Palo Alto, Calif.
He and Kelly moved to Arizona in 2007 with the help of the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation. The California-based organization assists armed-forces veterans severely injured in the line of duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001.
The foundation found a condo for the couple to live in, arranged for furniture and helped Mr. Job enroll in an online college program to complete the business degree he'd begun at the University of Washington.
"He was a great spokesman for the organization," said Lein, whose father, Howard Lein, founded the Arizona chapter of the Sentinels.
A 2007 story in The Arizona Republic quoted Mr. Job as saying he and his wife wanted to return the generosity others had shown them.
"Once I'm back on my feet, we'd like to help the next group of guys make the same transition."
Debbie Job said her daughter-in-law is pregnant with the couple's first child.
Aaron Job works with the Orange County Sheriff's Department and hopes to find a job in the Seattle area, his mother said.
In addition to his mother, wife and brother, Mr. Job is survived by his father, Eric Job, his sister, Kelsie, and his grandmother Barbara McCormick of Sammamish.
Services are planned for Thursday at the Scottsdale, Ariz., Bible Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to either Camp Patriot, www.camppatriot.org; Sentinels of Freedom, www.sentinelsoffreedom.org; or the Naval Special Warfare Foundation, www.nswfoundation.org.
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