General Matthew B. Ridgway
"Ridgway was such a breath of fresh air. Spit and fire. I'll never forget. He came to my CP in a jeep, grenades hung on his shoulder harness, brisk-walking, beetle-eyed, looking right at you."
- Colonel John Michaelis
Early LifeBorn on March 3rd, 1895 in Hampton, Virginia, Matthew Bunker Ridgway spent his childhood at military posts, traveling with his father Colonel Thomas Ridgway. He later graduated from West Point in 1917. General MacArthur saw potential in young Ridgway, and placed him in charge of physical education at the school. During World War II, Ridgway distinguished himself by leading the first American airborne division. Unlike most, Ridgway did not act superior to his men. He always looked at his subordinates in the eyes as fellow soldiers. His West Point education and military experience taught him the leadership skills he employed to salvage the Korean War effort.
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"I always disliked standing above people. I'm no better than they are. In rank, yes; in experience, yes; but not as a man. When reviewing the troops I would never permit them to raise a reviewing stand. I always stood there on the field, six to eight feet from the right flank of the unit going by. Then I could look into the eyes of the men going by. Looking into their eyes tells you something- and it tells them something too." - General Matthew B. Ridgway
"General Ridgway was Eighth Army commander when I arrived in Korea as a young lieutenant. I met him only once. He was a very impressive, no-nonsense figure and proved to be an effective leader directly involved with his troops... Ridgway carried himself as combat-ready. He was known as "Iron Tits" because he wore on his World War II parachute harness (which he didn't need) a grenade on one strap and a first-aid kit on the other. He looked prepared to fight and had the strategic sense that came with successful wartime experience and his previous position on the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon." - Stanley Weintraub, author and former Lt. of the Eighth Army
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"[Ridgway] exuded optimism and demanded reassignments for defeatist officers. Food, supplies and mail immediately improved. He published manifestos explaining to the troops why they were fighting their former Asian allies so soon after the defeat of their once-common enemies." - Victor Davis Hanson: Author of The Savior Generals
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