[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 74 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)] [Senate] [Pages S3421-S3422] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] REMEMBERING GENERAL MATTHEW BUNKER RIDGWAYMr. BLUNT. Mr. President, when GEN Matthew Bunker Ridgway passed away on July 26, 1993, he was one of the most decorated soldiers in the U.S. Armed Forces. Members of his family, including some of my constituents from Columbia, MO, gather each year. This year, they will honor General Ridgway's leadership, character, and courage as they celebrate the 60th anniversary of his command as Supreme Commander of the United Nations forces in Korea and Supreme Commander of the U.S. Far East Command during the Korean war. General Ridgway was born on March 3, 1895, in Fort Monroe, VA, to COL Thomas Ridgway and Mrs. Ruth Ridgway. He went to high school in Boston, MA, and afterward planned to follow in his father's footsteps at West Point. Young Matthew failed the math portion of his entrance exam but was not deterred. He studied harder for his second attempt, passed, and graduated from West Point. In 1917 he was commissioned as second lieutenant. After the disappointment of not being sent into combat during World War I, Lieutenant Ridgway said, ``The soldier who has had no share in this last great victory of good over evil would be ruined.'' After serving on various generals' staffs and commanding the 15th Infantry in Tientsin, China, General Ridgway would get his chance to fight. In August 1942, General Ridgway succeeded Omar Bradley when he was given command of the 82nd Airborne Division. The 82nd was chosen as one of the Army's five new airborne divisions. The conversion of an entire infantry division to airborne status was an unprecedented and daunting task which Ridgway successfully accomplished. In 1944, General Ridgway helped plan the airborne operations of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Europe. In Normandy, he courageously jumped with his troops, who fought bravely for 33 days in advancing to Saint-Sauveur- le-Vicomte near Cherbourg, France. In 1950, as the Korean war raged, General Ridgway was given command of the 8th Army. When Ridgway assumed command the 8th Army was in tactical retreat and suffering from low morale. After a successful reorganization of command structure and service at the front lines, General Ridgway had repaired morale among his soldiers. Ridgway shifted tactics and, relying heavily on coordinated artillery, went on the offensive, helping slow and later stop the Chinese at the battles of Chipyong-ni and Wonju. When General MacArthur was relieved of command in 1951, General Ridgway took the helm as Supreme Commander of U.N. forces in Korea and Supreme Commander of the U.S. Far East Command. Over the next year, Ridgway was responsible for conduct of the Korean war. He also followed General MacArthur as military governor of Japan, where he oversaw the restoration of Japan's Independence and sovereignty. In 1952, he replaced GEN Dwight D. Eisenhower as the Supreme Allied Commander for the North Atlantic Trade Organization, where he was credited for improvements through command structure, forces, facilities, and training. For his last assignment, General Ridgway served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1953 until his retirement in 1955. In retirement, General Ridgway would serve on boards, write, speak to groups, and advise other leaders, including President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan awarded General Ridgway the Presidential Medal of Freedom. GEN Matthew Bunker Ridgway passed away at his home outside Pittsburgh at the age of 98, on July 26, 1993. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and during his eulogy Colin Powell said: ``No soldier ever upheld his honor better than this man. No soldier ever loved his country more than [[Page S3422]] this man did. Every American soldier owes a debt to this great man.'' ____________________