Hometown Heroes: First Sergeant Ryan McLane
By: Matthew Fuchs
Updated: March 5, 2013
First Sergeant Ryan McLane spent his childhood in Bloomington and Mount Pulaski, Illinois.
He grew up working in
his grandparent's concession stand at fairs across the state.
At age 21, he enlisted
in the United States army.
Ryan was stationed at
Fort Hood until 2002.
From there, he
completed two tours in Korea.
He was then transferred
to Fort Riley, deploying to Iraq three times before 2012.
Along with other
commendations, he was awarded a purple heart for an incident involving an enemy
mine, which caused him to lose part of his hearing.
Ryan and his family now
live in Fort Polk, Louisiana where he has turned his garage into a custom
woodworking shop.
He also enjoys barbecuing and spending time with his wife, five kids and two grandkids.
