Hi my name is Julia Rose.
I was good friends with Tim and Michelle while they were with the Drum Corps in DC. Our husbands were very close as were Michelle and I. We remained close to them even after Tim became an officer and we were even stationed close to one another when he was going through flight training in Pensacola. We are in New Orleans. The first year they were in Pensacola they came out to see us for Mardi Gras and we had a great weekend.
Tim was probably one of the greatest people my husband and I have ever known. He was the the Sgt. of arms in our wedding as well as my Mothers escort. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend his OCS graduation, TBS graduation and the last time I saw him was when his wings were pinned on in Pensacola. That was one of the happiest days of his life and we were all very proud of his accomplishments.
I am passing along this picture which is of my husband SSgt. Onsby Rose and of Tim the morning that my husband took him to Quantico and dropped him off for OCS. Maybe you will add this with the other pictures of Tim on your site. Although Tim is gone now, we will never forget the great man and Marine that he was.
Thanks,
Julia Rose
1/20/04 3:00:11 PM Central Standard Time

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Today we come together to mourn the loss of a husband, a son, and a friend; but most importantly an American Hero. Capt. Timothy Ryan was my friend and my Marine brother. He gave his life so that we might be able to live ours more peacefully.

In today's high tech society we are much less willing to accept the loss of life due to war. The battlefield is much more distant than in years past. We project our power from overwhelming distances and have pinpoint accuracy with our weapons. But eventually the inevitable must happen and we loose someone close to us.

A friend of mine and Tim's wrote this letter to the editor of his local newspaper soon after hearing of the death of our friend.

Such a reminder happened to me about three weeks ago when the story broke of a US Marine helicopter going down in Iraq, approximately 60 miles south of Baghdad. I read the headline and skimmed through the article thinking about how I lost a few more brothers in Dress Blues. I didn't realize that one of them was a dear friend of mine.

Capt. Timothy L. Ryan and I served together in Washington, DC He was the greatest, most devout friend one could have. In the two and half years that we served together before he became an officer, he was junior to me in rank but senior to me in spirits. Whenever I was down, tired or worn out he was always there with that big goofy grin on his face. Everyone that knew him, even for a short while, remembers how what a fun-loving guy he was who always had time to help a friend. The news of his death in the chopper accident was a wake-up call of how quickly and tragically things can change during conflict. We all, from Training Day 1, accepted that one day we may die in the line of duty; we never thought of having to accept the death of a friend. This will always serve as a poignant reminder to me of the fragility of life and how precious friends are.

Semper Fidelis, Brian A. Seals, Sgt. US Marine Corps

As Sgt. Seals has so eloquently stated it is so difficult to lose another marine, but even more difficult is it to lose such a close friend.

On a more personal level Tim was someone that I not only would call my friend, but also was as close to a brother as I will ever come. As fellow Sgt.'s serving at 8th and I we became friends and soon would spend some of the most memorable times of my life. Whether it be finding our way through a corn maze on Halloween, playing video games on Thanksgiving while our wives prepared dinner, or running through the woods playing paintball at the bachelor party he planned for me.. Tim was always there to add his true humor and to make any time spent in his presence enjoyable.

After becoming an officer Tim and I would never see each other in uniform. Only during our visits would we be together in an off-duty status and because of this I can truly say I have only one regret in all the time that I have been friends with Capt. Ryan. And that is that I never had the chance to march up to him, give him the proper greeting and render a crisp salute say Thank you sir, for being my true friend. I will never forget the look of excitement on his face as I dropped him off at Officer's Candidacy School, or his look of happiness when he became a 2nd Lt.

So in closing Tim, I may not be able to talk with you now, but there is nothing else that I look forward to more than meeting you in heaven and having the honor to give you the salute you so much deserve.

Semper Fidelis sir, you will never be forgotten.
1/22/04

You also be interested in SSgt. Onsby Rose Remembers A Friend Photos