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Ryan Joseph Cantafio
April 22nd, 2009
Ryan Joseph Cantafio joined the Marine Corps at the age of 17 as a high school student in 2000, at Beaver Dam High School, in Beaver Dam Wisconsin.
After training at Camp Pendelton Ryan was deployed in September of 2004 as part of the Marine Corps Reserve’s 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Chicago, Illinois – Fox Company.
Ryan was married a few months before he was deployed.
While in Iraq, Ryan duties included manning the 50 caliber gun mounted on his Marine Humvee. Many of Ryan’s emails home note the happy Iraqi’s that we now liberated for the 1st in history.
Ryan became an "example setter" for his unit, volunteering for most missions when asked.
On Thanksgiving Morning 2004, Ryan wrote home, wishing his family a Happy Thanksgiving; again telling them about his fondness for Iraqi people and their children.
On that night, November 25, 2004, Ryan again volunteered for a mission. It was to be his last mission. Ryan Cantafio died as result of enemy ac
tion in Al Andar Province, Iraq. His Humvee was hit by a remote-controlled roadside bomb. Ryan was 22-years old.
10-days after his death, the entire town of Beaver Dam came to Ryan funeral. The streets were lined with people holding American flags as tears rolled down their faces on the entire route from the Chapel to the cemetery. The grave site was crowded as well. Ryan was loved by everyone whose life he touched. He loved hunting and fishing and his beloved Green Bay Packers. He was loving brother, supportive son and a loving husband.
As his cousin Joe Cantafio; a USO-Entertainer who had returned from entertaining Troops in Iraq and few months earlier, drove home to Chicago after the funeral, he began to write "Brave Warrior" a song inspired by his young cousin’s life and death as a true American Hero, but dedicated to all American warriors who have paid the ultimate price to preserve American freedom throughout American history.
