Gordon Leroy Ryerson
Kentucky Post, Saturday, 11 March 1944, page 1
The Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart was to be
presented Saturday to Mrs. Laura M Ryerson, 220 O'Fallon avenue, Bellevue, widow
of Lieut. Gordon L Ryerson, of the Army Air Corps who was killed in action on
Oct 30, 1942 in the Egyptian campaign. The awards were to be made Saturday by
Major Frank L Robinson, commanding officer of the Thirtieth College Training
Detachment, Army Air Forces Central Flying Training Company at a formal retreat
parade and review at Xavier University.
The citation accompanying the award of DFC, contained in General Orders No 1 headquarters US Army Air Forces in the Middle East area Cairo, Egypt is dated Jan 1, 1944 by command of Gen Andrews, reads as follows:
For extraordinary achievement in aerial flight. On Oct 30, 1942,
while returning from a fighter bomber raid against the enemy installations in
the Western Desert, Lt. Ryerson's formation destroyed one enemy aircraft, but
was immediately attacked by two others. During this encounter he was wounded in
the left hand and his aircraft was so damaged by cannon fire that he could only
execute turns in one direction. By superior flying skill he was able to elude
the attackers and return to his home airdrome, where forced to make a crash
landing by the riddled condition of his fighter, he purposely overturned his air
craft to prevent entering an inhabited tent camp area."