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Cpl. Carl Sampson CW3 Michael Wells LCpl. Justin McLeese Sgt. Jeffrey Lynn Kirk
First Lt. Jeffrey Adams Cpl. Matthew Cole Spc. Russell Kyle Burleson Spc. Christopher Vining
Sgt. Christopher Ramsey Sfc. Michael McNaughton Sgt. John Aaron Blanchard LCpl. Ryan McCurdy
Sgt. Sammy Anderson Sgt. Jonathan Reed Lt. Christopher Barnett Pfc. David Burridge
Cpl. David Bear Stewart Sfc. Kurt Comeaux Spc. Matthew King Cpl. Michael Savoie
Cpl. Jacob Schick LCpl. Hardy Mills IV
The phone call came around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, 2006. "Im looking for the home of Ryan McCurdy, this is Corporal Clifton Trotter I was with him in Iraq." I (his mother) replied, "Yes, this is his home." Corporal Trotter said, "He saved my life!"
Corporal Trotter told me that he was one of the squad leaders that Ryan was with in Fallujah, Iraq. On January 5, 2006, he was shutting down a shift of men who were guarding the C-Mac complex, and he and Ryan were on duty together. A large group of insurgents came upon their group of guards and started firing at them. Corporal Trotter was shot in the neck in the carotid artery, which also affected his voice. He told me, "I lay in the street praying for my wife and baby, who was soon to be born, and I knew I was going to die". Then Ryan ran out and started pulling me by my legs to get me to safety behind the burm." Ryan got him there and was in firing position when he was shot in the chest, which proved to be a fatal wound. Corporal Trotter said he lay behind the burm with Ryan trying to yell for help, but all that would come out was a whisper due to his injury.
Corporal Trotter asked me if I knew about the "Blue Croc Shoes" that Ryan had and he said that all the guys teased him about them. But, did Ryan care? No. Well, after Ryan passed, a room the guys called "the lounge" (a computer room where the troops could email home) was renamed, "The Ryan McCurdy Blue Shoes Lounge" in his honor.
Corporal Trotter told me that he and his wife had their baby boy on March 25th in Jacksonville and they named him, Christian Ryan, in honor of my son. Corporal Trotter said "I cry every night thinking about how Ryan saved my life." I told him that Ryan cared for his friends. I said that what Ryan did was the kind of thing he would do without hesitation for a friend. I told him that God saw that he had a wife and baby to raise and Ryan would want him to be able to do that too, without giving his life a second thought.
Corporal Trotter said that when he had tower duty, he always asked Ryan to come with him. They were shot at many times in the tower and returned fire. He also told me Ryan was the comedian of the group and made everyone laugh. Ryan gave his own life, but he saved the life of a fellow Marine and he also saved his family.
Ryan was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal by Major Jason Smith (USMC) for the following: December 26, 2005 Ryan shot and killed a suicide bomber before he could detonate as he approached Iraqi police. January 5, 2006 he died saving the life of another Marine. He was awarded the Purple Heart as well.
Support Our War Heroes is proud to honor Ryan McCurdy for his courage and selfless sacrifice.