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James Van Ry passed on April 16th in Santa Rosa, CA. I met him about 2 years ago and after noting all the framed Corsair photos on his wall, asked him if he was a Marine and he said "you bet". I asked him what Squadron and he told me it was VMF-223. I know another pilot from the same Squadron and when I gave James his name, he looked straight at me and said that he flew with him often.
James was born on June 17, 1922 in Holland, MI and during WW 2, joined the Marines and mostly flew the Corsair, which he really admired. He jokingly related how he went in the Marines because that way, he could avoid carrier takeoffs and landings. After the War was over, he stayed in the Reserves and ended up flying the Corsair again, this time in Korea. And this time, there was no avoiding flying off of carriers.
James flew several versions of the Corsair, including the AU-7, but liked the -4 the best. He flew some escort duty over Japan in 1945. Among his awards were two DFC's.
I consider it a priviledge to have met and talked with him. Like most of his era, he was very unassuming and modest.
R.I.P. Marine
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