Ulster County Sheriff Heads To Lake George For Important Mission

Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa made a special weekend trip Upstate for a "very important mission.

Ellenville, New York Man Injured in Husaybah, Iraq

Eddie Ryan of Ellenville New York always knew he wanted to be a Marine according to TheFund.org. Ryan joined the Marine Corps back in 2002 and served as a Machine Gunner during his 2 first deployments.

During his 3rd deployment Sergeant Ryan served as a sniper. Six weeks into that deployment in 2005 Ryan's life was changed forever.

While deployed in Husaybah, Iraq, in April 2005, Ryan sustained 2 gunshot wounds to his head.

Sergeant Eddie Ryan Defies the Odds After Injury in Iraq

Semper Fi & America's Fund explains that on an air force base in Iraq "a neurosurgeon removed one bullet from Eddie's head, the other bullet having gone straight through his skull."

The Ryan family flew out to Germany where Eddie was transferred thinking they were going to be saying goodbye to their son. However, Eddie defied the odds. He was moved to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.

Eddie was in a medically induced coma for 6 weeks. Doctors performed a crainosplasty and reconstructed his skull out of acrylic. Eddie had a Traumatic Brain Injury that caused both "cognitive and mobility issues."

According to The Fund, throughout his recovery Eddies biggest motivators have been his family, friends, the community and his fellow Marines.

Ulster County Sheriff Visits Sergeant Eddie Ryan in Lake George, New York

Back in New York in April 2005, Current Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa was a Chief Warrant Officer 3 with the United States Marines.

He was serving as a casualty assistance call officer in Newburgh and he was assigned the difficult tasks of informing Eddie's parents, Angie and Chris Ryan, that their son had been struck by gun fire.

On Facebook the Ulster County Sheriff's Office explains that this year Sheriff Figueroa visited Eddie and his family in Lake George, New York to celebrate his "Alive Day."

According to a Facebook post, back in 2019 during a ceremony hosted by Sheriff Figueroa, Eddie was made an honorary Ulster County Deputy Sheriff.

You can learn more about Eddie Ryan and his story on TheFund.org.