Faced with a family history of service above self, Katie J. Ryan knew she had to do something for somebody once the war started. Her brothers, part of a band called A.S.K.A., had earlier gone overseas to entertain troops during
Faced with a family history of service above self, Katie J. Ryan knew she had to do something for somebody once the war started.
Her brothers, part of a band called A.S.K.A., had earlier gone overseas to entertain troops during wartime.
She turned, like many others at the time, to her church.
“I prayed for guidance, as I don’t have any youngsters in the armed forces, and this is where I was lead,” she said of her volunteer work to link youngsters in the armed forces in and near Iraq with their families on Kaua’i and, eventually, across the Mainland.
“I wanted to be a light in the darkness of war,” she said.
As it started out, she was looking for some help finding the mother of a sailor whom the sailor was having difficulty reaching.
The sailor is Tyson Miguel, a 2000 Kaua’i High School graduate now aboard the USS Constellation. His mother is Alice Miguel.
The connection made was just one of many facilitated by Ryan, now considered something of an “aunty” or mother figure to more than just Kaua’i service men and women and families she has touched.
She has been a go-between for young service men and women and their Mainland families as well, especially those families lacking Internet access.
A typical day during the height of the war saw Ryan running errands for some of the Kaua’i boys aboard the Constellation and other service men and women, mailing out birthday cards, and communicating via telephone or letter with Mainland parents of others aboard who don’t have Internet or e-mail access, she said.
When war broke out, Kalaheo resident Ryan, a member of Lihu’e Lutheran Church born into a U.S. Air Force family, immediately went to the church to pray, and seek guidance from above.
She agreed to have her story told here “only if it inspires others to get involved in a positive direction (help with our community, volunteer at the hospital or senior-citizen center, read or write for those who cannot), and not only in time of war.
“I am just one individual helping out,” said the optimistic Ryan, thinking how the world might be if others felt as she does.
“If every willing individual did something positive, you know, be a ‘light’ at any time, and under any circumstance (volunteer for something, anything), this island, and this world, would be a much better place to live,” she said.
“Really, there is nothing extraordinary about it,” she said of her patriotic volunteerism. “It was my way of giving back,” she said. “After all, I am lucky enough to live in the U.S.A.,” she continued, “doing my part to support our men and women during these times of war.”
Having a background in the investigative field helps her “access information the average layman may not be able to,” she said.
“I try to do whatever I can do to find answers. I do research, send out birthday cards, touch base with those family members who do not have access to Internet (via letters, telephone call, etc.), and a lot of e-mailing updates concerning the ships, the on-ground troops, whatever I can access legally,” she said.
“I do this across the U.S., as well as helping out the families on our beautiful isle,” Ryan continued.
“How could I not help? The people of Kaua’i have always had my heart from the first visit here,” she said.
“No one should have to worry about their loved ones at any time, and I put myself in their slippers. I am sure someone would do the same for me,” she said.
“Probably becoming another ‘mother’ or ‘auntie’ to some of these youngsters” has been the most gratifying experience, she said.
“Best of all, I have made some really good friends all over the United States, and Kaua’i,” she said.
The next time Tyson Miguel comes home, either late May or early June, he and his mom will be the Ryans’ guests for dinner.
“It will be my first meeting with him. He knows I have a hug waiting for him,” she said.
“Thanks to Tyson Miguel, one of our young men on the USS Constellation, I have met his mother, Alice. We went to brunch, and I was able to give her a big hug from her son,” Ryan said.
“Prior to the brunch, I was able to give her a message from Tyson. They had a brief time where they were not able to communicate,” Ryan continued.
“I feel like I have made many close friends through this process,” she said.
Born in Panama City, in the Canal Zone, Ryan writes children’s stories and books, and is finishing up a book of poetry.
After visiting Kaua’i for many years, the Ryans a few years ago became permanent residents.
“We have such respect and love for this island and the people. There is no other place like Kaua’i.”
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
