WHO?

General Matthew Ridgway (1895-1993)

As the son of an artillery Colonel, Matthew Bunker Ridgway was born at Fort Monroe (Virginia) in 1895. He in his early years, he lived in various military camps as his family followed his father’s career before Matthew himself decided to go to West Point. Without seeing combat during WWI, Ridgway worked in China and the Philippines before graduating from the Command and General Staff School and Army War College in 1937. At the beginning of World War II, Ridgway was part of the US Army Planning Staff before being promoted to Brigadier General in January 1942.

In August of 1942, he became Commanding Officer of the US 82^nd Airborne, and was in Sicily in 1943. Ridgway spent thirty—three days in Normandy. After Normandy he would command airborne forces at corps level during the Battle of the Bulge and also the Operation Varsity.

In August of 1953 he became Chief of Staff of the US Army.

He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.