Sergeant First Class Ridel was a member of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regimental Combat Team. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in North Korea on 26 May 1951 and died of those wounds later that day.

Ridel was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, 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.