Beacon Siblings Served Their Country

Sisters, brother enlisted during Vietnam
For Victoria Ryan, Veterans Day on Tuesday (Nov. 11) will once again evoke memories of the 35 years the Beacon native and her siblings, Deborah and Bill, collectively served in the U.S. Army.
Bill joined first, in 1970, followed by Deborah in 1973. Victoria, at the urging of her mother, enlisted just a few months after her sister.
Victoria remembers Bill as "laid back, easygoing, athletic and serious minded." At the height of the Vietnam War, he enlisted rather than waiting to be drafted. A field artillery surveyor, he reached the rank of specialist and served in Germany until being discharged in late 1973. He died in a car accident in 1978 at age 25.

"Bill had enrolled at University of Tennessee; he wanted to take mechanical engineering," Victoria recalled.
Deborah, prior to joining the military, had worked for three years as a model. In the Army, she became the first woman to serve as a military police officer (MP) at West Point, a distinction that earned her a profile in the New York Daily News. Deborah explained to the newspaper why she had enlisted: "We were at war and the men were fighting. Why shouldn't I?"
In a 2025 newsletter published by Together We Served, an organization that helps veterans stay connected and chronicles their stories, Victoria told the group how proud she was of her sister. "She pursued a law enforcement career in the Army and was deeply serious about her duties," she said.

Early in her posting to West Point, Deborah pulled an officer over for speeding, Victoria recalled. "Do you know who I am?" the officer asked arrogantly. Deborah responded: "Sir, please do not confuse your rank with my authority."
Deborah served in the Army until 1990. Her career included stops in Europe and Korea, and she rose to the rank of warrant officer in the criminal investigation division. She died in 2016 at age 61.
"Although she was four years younger than me, I always looked up to her in many ways," Victoria said. "She died a proud veteran."
Deborah's daughter, Leslie Ann Martell, a West Point graduate, served in Afghanistan and now serves in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Victoria went on to earn the rank of staff sergeant and served in the Army until 1988. In the mid-1970s, she and Deborah were both posted at West Point, where they "had a lot of great times," said Victoria. "We played tennis, had lunch together and went to Army football games; Deborah loved those games."

She also recalled happy get-togethers with Deborah, Bill and their parents at the family's Beacon home during that period.
While stationed at West Point, Victoria worked in administration for the third regiment Corps of Cadets. Her career also took her to Hawaii, Holland and numerous posts across the mainland U.S.
Like her sister, Victoria was not afraid to speak her mind. During a physical training program at Fort Myers, Virginia, she was appalled that early morning runs were conducted in Arlington National Cemetery. She protested up the chain of command, all the way to the sergeant major of the Army. To her "astonished relief," the runs ceased.
"I felt shame, embarrassment and guilt for my part in disrespecting this revered and sacred cemetery," said Victoria. "I needed to take a stand."

Her saddest military experience came during her final assignment in the Army casualty office. In 1986, a DC-8 bringing personnel stationed in Egypt home to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, crashed after taking off from Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, killing all 248 passengers and the eight crew members.
Calling it "the worst peacetime military aircraft disaster in the history of the U.S. Army," Victoria said her office spent months identifying all the bodies. "We told our people out in the field where to go, who to speak to and exactly, word for word, what to say to the next of kin about their loved one passing away," she said.
Now retired and living in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she is an active member of...