{"id":1818,"date":"2013-05-06T10:01:00","date_gmt":"2013-05-06T10:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=1818"},"modified":"2014-12-24T14:45:58","modified_gmt":"2014-12-24T14:45:58","slug":"gen-matthew-b-ridgway-and-his-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/05\/06\/gen-matthew-b-ridgway-and-his-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway and his career"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gen. <\/a>
Gen. Ridgway, 96, received a Combat Infantry Badge in 1991. At left are U.S. Sens. Sam Nunn and Strom Thurmond. At right is Gen. Colin Powell. (Pittsburgh Press Photo by Tom Ondrey) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gen. <\/a>
Gen. Ridgway with Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. (Associated Press photo) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gen. <\/a>
Gen. Ridgway, wife Mary and son Matt Jr. on a canoe trip. (Post-Gazette photo by Charles Stuebgen) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gen. <\/a>
Gen. Ridgway, left, in 1953 with NATO officers Lt. Gen. Paul Ely and Gen. Omar Bradley. (International News Photos) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gen. <\/a>
Gen. Ridgway in 1952 with the Duke of Edinburg (left) and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. (International News Photos) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

On Nov. 7, 1991, Army Gen. Colin L. Powell with\u00a0a\u00a0delegation of U. S. Senators visited the Fox\u00a0Chapel home of\u00a0Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway.<\/p>\n

That day, Gen. Ridgway, 96, a hero of\u00a0World War II and the Korean War, received the Congressional Gold Medal\u00a0and\u00a0the infantryman\u2019s combat badge. Powell, then chairman of the Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented\u00a0the medal valued at $25,000\u00a0to Gen. Ridgway.\u00a0To this date, it is considered to be the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow.<\/p>\n

While Ridgway was thrilled with the medal, he was especially delighted with the infantryman\u2019s combat badge, the other honor he received that day.\u00a0During World War II, only infantrymen who had served a minimum of 90 consecutive days in a combat zone wore it. He did not fit that criterion but an exception was made in his particular case.<\/p>\n

Sixty-eight years ago this week, along with the rest of the world\u2019s freedom-loving citizens, Gen. Ridgway celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II. He knew\u00a0many\u00a0heroes of\u00a0that conflict,\u00a0including Gen. Dwight Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.<\/p>\n

A true Army brat, Gen. Ridgway was born at Fort Monroe, Va., where his father, Colonel Thomas Ridgway was stationed. In 1913, Ridgway entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.<\/p>\n

Before\u00a0dawn on D-Day, Gen. Ridgway made a combat jump into Normandy on June 6, 1944. Risking his life, he directed soldiers to secure the bridgehead over the Merderet River.<\/p>\n

By 1951, Gen. Ridgway was in Korea, where he rallied United Nations forces to seize strategic territory.<\/p>\n

In 1953, Ridgway became U.S. Army Chief of Staff, the most frustrating assignment of his career. He disagreed with President Dwight Eisenhower\u2019s\u00a0decision to emphasize the threat of nuclear bombs over investment in maintaining a strong army of foot soldiers. Gen. Ridgway opposed American involvement in the Vietnam War.\u00a0He also did not believe that women should be admitted to the U.S. service academies.<\/p>\n

After his death at age 98 in 1993, Ridgway was buried with full military honors in Arlington Cemetery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Nov. 7, 1991, Army Gen. Colin L. Powell with a delegation of U. S. Senators visited the Fox Chapel home of Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesGen. Matthew B. Ridgway and his career<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1066],"tags":[960,980,1050],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/tumblr_mm8a0qz6cU1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1080%2C634&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7506,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/04\/26\/the-fort-pitt-blockhouse-lodge-and-aunt-mollie\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818,"position":0},"title":"The Fort Pitt Blockhouse Lodge and Aunt Mollie","date":"April 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"For decades a narrow home stood guard over the famous redoubt.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/BlockhouseLodge004.jpg?fit=1200%2C782&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":535,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/06\/23\/the-freedom-trains-journey-through-pennsylvania\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818,"position":1},"title":"The Freedom Train\u2019s journey through Pennsylvania","date":"June 23, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Fifty-two railroads shared the task of taking the Freedom Train on its 33,000-mile journey.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/tumblr_n7dqfdKlMq1rr5swxo4_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C969&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2216,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2012\/12\/11\/pittsburgh-courier-correspondent-frank-e-bolden\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818,"position":2},"title":"Pittsburgh Courier correspondent Frank E. 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