Matthew Bunker Ridgway
March 3, 1895 - July 26, 1993
Place of birth	Fort Monroe, Virginia
Place of death	Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States Army
Years of service	1917 - 1955
Rank	General
Commands	82nd Airborne Division XVIII Airborne Corps 8th US Army
Battles/wars	Operation Overlord Korean War
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom Legion of Merit

Matthew Bunker Ridgway (March 3, 1895–July 26, 1993) was a United States Army general. He held several major commands and was most famous for salvaging the United Nations war effort in the Korean War. July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Picture of Matthew Ridgeway from http://www. ... Fort Monroe, Virginia (also known as Fortress Monroe) is a military installation located at Old Point Comfort on the tip of the Virginia Peninsula at the mouth of Hampton Roads on the Chesapeake Bay in eastern Virginia in the United States. ... Fox Chapel is a borough located in the northeastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... The 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army was constituted in the National Army as the 82nd Division on August 5, 1917, and was organized on August 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. ... Patch of the XVIII Airborne Corps. ... The US Eighth Army is the commanding formation of all US Army troops in South Korea. ... The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ... Combatants Western Allied/UN combatants: Republic of Korea United States Britain Communist combatants: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Jeong Il-Gwon Douglas MacArthur Mark W. Clark Matthew Ridgway Kim Il-sung, Choi Yong-kun Peng Dehuai Strength Note: All... The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States, considered the equivalent of the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. ... The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... Combatants Western Allied/UN combatants: Republic of Korea United States Britain Communist combatants: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Jeong Il-Gwon Douglas MacArthur Mark W. Clark Matthew Ridgway Kim Il-sung, Choi Yong-kun Peng Dehuai Strength Note: All...

Early life and career

Born in Fort Monroe, Virginia, he graduated West Point in 1917, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. After returning to West Point as an instructor in Spanish the year after he graduated, Ridgway completed the officers' course at the Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia, after which he was given command of the 15th Infantry. This was followed by a posting to Nicaragua, where he helped supervise free elections in 1927. Fort Monroe, Virginia (also known as Fortress Monroe) is a military installation located at Old Point Comfort on the tip of the Virginia Peninsula at the mouth of Hampton Roads on the Chesapeake Bay in eastern Virginia in the United States. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, or simply USMA (or Army, for NCAA purposes), is a United States Army fort and military academy. ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... Fort Benning is a base facility of the United States military outside Columbus, Georgia. ... The 15th Infantry Regiment is currently a parent regiment in the United States Army. ... An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ...

In 1930, he became an advisor to the Governor General of the Philippines. A few years later, he attended the Command and General Staff School in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; at the same time (the mid-1930s), he was Assistant Chief of Staff of VI Corps. Thereafter, he held positions of Deputy Chief of Staff (2nd Army) and Assistant Chief of Staff (4th Army) of two army units. General George Marshall was impressed, and soon after the outbreak of World War II, he assigned Ridgway to the War Plans Division. A Governor-General (in Canada, Governor General) is most generally a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above ordinary governors [1]. The most common contemporary usage of the term is to refer to the royally-appointed territorial governor of a region, or royal representative in a country... First established in 1881 as a school for infantry and cavalry, the U.S. Armys Command and General Staff College (C&GSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas functions as a graduate school for U.S. military leaders. ... In 1827, Colonel Henry Leavenworth established a post on the bluffs overlooking the western bank of the Missouri River to protect the fur trade, safeguard commerce on the Santa Fe Trail and maintain the peace among the inhabitants. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The VI Corps took part in some of the most high profile operations in World War II. Its first combat was during the Allied invasion of Italy when it landed at Salerno with the British X Corps under Fifth Army as part of Operation Avalanche. ... Second United States Army was formed October 15, 1918 during World War I. It functioned as a training and administrative headquarters until being inactivated 15 April 1919. ... This article is about the general and statesman. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

World War II

In August 1942, Ridgway was promoted to Brigadier General, and was given command of the 82nd Airborne Division, upon Omar N. Bradley's assignment to the 28th Infantry Division. The division was selected to become one of the army's five airborne divisions, based in no small part on Ridgway's skill as a trainer, and flexibility of thinking compared to his peers. At that time, the Airborne Division concept was an experiment for the US Army. A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... The 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army was constituted in the National Army as the 82nd Division on August 5, 1917, and was organized on August 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. ... Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893 - April 8, 1981) was one of the main US Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during World War II. Bradley was born to a poor family near Clark, Missouri, the son of a schoolteacher. ... 28th Infantry Division Symbol The 28th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. It continues its service today as part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. ...

Ridgway helped plan the airborne invasion of Sicily, in 1943, and commanded the 82nd in combat there. During the planning for the invasion of the Italian mainland, the 82nd was tasked with taking Rome by coup-de-main in Operation Giant II. Ridgway strongly objected to this unrealistic plan, which would have dropped the 82nd on the outskirts of Rome in the midst of two German heavy divisions. The operation was cancelled only hours before launch. Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ...

In 1944, Ridgway helped plan the airborne operations on Operation Overlord. In the Normandy operations, he jumped with his troops, who fought for 33 days in advancing to St-Sauveur near Cherbourg (St Sauveur le Vicomte, in the middle of the Cotentin Peninsular was liberated on June 14th 1944.) In September of 1944, Ridgway was given the command of the XVIII Airborne Corps, and led his troops into Germany. In 1945, he was promoted to Lieutenant General. He jumped with the 17th Airborne Division in Operation Varsity, and was wounded in the shoulder by German grenade fragments on March 24, 1945. At war's end, Ridgway was on a plane headed for a new assignment in the Pacific theater, under General of the Army Douglas McArthur, with whom he had served while a Captain at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ... Mont Saint Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ... Patch of the XVIII Airborne Corps. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Operation Varsity was an airborne operation towards the end of World War II, intended to gain a foothold across the River Rhine. ... General of the Army, or less formally five-star general, is historically the second most senior rank in the United States Army. ... MacArthur landing at Leyte Beach in 1944. ... The United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, or simply USMA (or Army, for NCAA purposes), is a United States Army fort and military academy. ... West Point painting West Point is a federal military base (and a census-designated place) located in the Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York. ...

Post World War II

He held a command at Luzon for some time in 1945, before being given command of the US forces in the Mediterranean Theater, also gaining the title of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean. He was given command of US forces in the Caribbean in the late 1940s, before being given the position of Deputy Chief of Staff, under Army Chief of Staff General J. Lawton Collins. Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ... // Ecology A view of the Caribbean Sea from the Dominican Republic coast The Caribbean is home to about 9% of the worlds coral reefs covering about 20,000 square miles, most of which are located off the Caribbean Islands and the Central American coast. ... The Flag of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army The Chief of Staff of the United States Army (CSA) is the professional head of the United States Army who is responsible for insuring readiness of the Army. ... Joseph Lawton Collins Joseph Lightning Joe Lawton Collins (1 May 1896 – 12 September 1987) was a general of the United States Army. ...

Korean War

Ridgway's most important command assignment occurred in 1950, upon the death of Lieutenant General Walton Walker. Upon Walker's death, he received command of the 8th US Army, which had been deployed in South Korea upon the invasion of North Korea in June of that year. When Ridgway took command the army was still in retreat from its disastrous invasion of North Korea and unable to stop the communist Chinese advance into South Korea. Ridgway gradually slowed the Chinese offensive, finally bringing it to a halt at the battles of Chipyong-ni and Wonju. He led his troops in a subsequent counter-offensive in the spring of 1951, and when General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of command by President Harry Truman in April, Ridgway was promoted to full general, assuming command of United Nations forces in Korea. As commanding general in Korea, Ridgway gained the nickname, "Old Iron Tits," for his habit of wearing hand grenades attached to his load-bearing equipment at chest level. {Photographs however show he only wore one grenade on one side of his chest; the so-called "grenade" on the other side was in fact a first-aid packet}. Walton Harris Walker (December 3, 1889—December 23, 1950) was an American army officer and the first commander of the U.S. Eighth Army during the Korean War. ... The US Eighth Army is the commanding formation of all US Army troops in South Korea. ... Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964) was an American general and Medal of Honor recipient, who was Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II. He led the defense of Australia, and the recapture of New Guinea, the Philippines and Borneo. ... For the victim of Mt. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... A hand grenade is a hand-held bomb, made to be thrown by a soldier. ...

Military historians generally credit Ridgway with turning the 8th US Army from a defeated, broken army, into one that fought the overwhelming masses of troops from the People's Republic of China to a standstill, eventually driving the Chinese out of South Korea across the 38th parallel. During this period, Ridgway's leadership by personal example, as well as his thorough knowledge of basic military operational principles, set a leadership standard few in US Army history could match. Ridgway also was not fazed by the Olympian demeanor of General MacArthur, who gave Ridgway latitude in operations he had not given his predecessor.

Chief of Staff

Gen. Ridgway

In May 1952, Ridgway replaced General Dwight D. Eisenhower as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR). However, he upset other European military leaders by surrounding himself with American staff, and returned to the U.S. to replace General Collins as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. In that position, Ridgway is credited by historians as having delayed US entry into the Vietnam War, when President Eisenhower asked for his assessment of US military involvement in conjunction with the French. In response, Ridgway prepared a comprehensive outline of the massive commitment that would be necessary, which dissuaded the President from intervening. However, the experience sorely tested the relationship Ridgway had enjoyed during World War II with Eisenhower, who wanted to intervene, and he retired from the US Army in 1955, succeeded in the Chief of Staff post by his one time 82nd Airborne Division Chief of Staff Maxwell D. Taylor. In the opinion of a number of military historians, Ridgway's stand as Chief of Staff delayed US intervention in Vietnam for around ten years. Image File history File linksMetadata MatthewBRidgway. ... Image File history File linksMetadata MatthewBRidgway. ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American soldier and politician. ... NATO military is divided into two commands, Atlantic and Europe. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... The Flag of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army The Chief of Staff of the United States Army (CSA) is the professional head of the United States Army who is responsible for insuring readiness of the Army. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~520,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead... General Maxwell Taylor General Maxwell Davenport Taylor (August 26, 1901 – April 19, 1987) was an American soldier and diplomat of the mid-20th century. ...

Retirement

Ridgway had been forced to retire earlier than he planned, but he was secure in the belief he had served his nation to the best of his ability. The year after his retirement, he published his autobiography, Soldier: The Memoirs of Matthew B. Ridgway.

Ridgway's success in the military was not matched by success in his personal life. He married three times. For a while, he held the position of chairman of the board of trustees of the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to his friends and colleagues, Ridgway was never the same after his son died in a camping accident in 1971, becoming increasingly depressed and morose. He died at his home in the Pittsburgh suburb of Fox Chapel at age 98 in March 1993 of cardiac arrest, holding permanent rank of General in the United States Army. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Mellon Institute combined with the Carnegie Institute of Technology to form todays Carnegie Mellon University. ... Nickname: Steel City, Iron City, City of Champions, City of Bridges, City of Colleges Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Allegheny County Founded 1758 Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area    - City 151. ... Fox Chapel is a borough located in the northeastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. ... The Tomb of the Unknowns Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Robert E. Lees wife Mary. ...

QUOTE: “Mr. Lang by reason of his professionalism, competence, genial personality and cheerful sharing of all dangers and hardships has come to be considered a member of the Division.” --Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway of the 82nd Airborne Division on Will Lang Jr. Will Lang Jr. ...

• A street, Ridgway Court, was named after him in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.