Master Sergeant Ryan was a member of Company B, 70th Medium Tank Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy near Unsan, North Korea, on 1 November 1950. His remains were recovered on 16 October 2000 and were identified on 22 January 2011. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Master Sergeant Ryan was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.