Still miss you bro...

Today makes four years with out you, we think about you every day. You will always be apart of us Ryan. It still hurts.

After two years I still can't believe you are gone. You were and will always be a big part of our family. I still can't can't believe it turned out this way, so many things I wish I had told you. You were like a brother and I was and will always be proud of you. As long as there is still a breath in me Ian will know how great is father was. I miss your smile, your hand shake and your hug. All the plans we made for our familys were torn apart like pages from a book. God knows how many nights I have broke down and wished it was just a bad dream. Time does not always heal all wounds and this one will never heal. You were once quoted as saying the only time that somebody truly dies is when that person is gone from people's minds. A day has not past without you on my mind. God bless the VAW-120 for being there for us, they became part of our family and they are the best the Navy has. Ryan, I know I'll see you again someday, until then I'll miss you brother.

I can't believe it's been more than two years, and there are so many little things that still make me think about you. I talk about you to the little newbs all the time. And I can't help but talk about you like you like we just hung out yesterday. I still think about that fateful night; turning and watching your plane fly into the water, and thinking "oh God, please don't let that be Ryan". All the LSO's stayed up on the flight deck for the rest of the night, with spotlights searching the blackness for any signs of you. We talked about it later, and we agreed that we all half-expected you, Cameron and Jerry to come swimming up to the boat yelling at us to get off our asses and pull you out of the water. God, I wish that's how it had happened. I didn't want to have to be the one to do it, but the next day they wanted a pilot to come down to the hangar bay and try to identify the parts of the plane they had recovered from the water. It was hard enough sifting through the wreckage, but when I found your helmet, I broke down right there in front of everyone. It was one of the worst days of my life. You were truly one of those people who touched the lives of everyone around you. People may stop writing here some day, but anyone who truly knew you will never stop thinking about you. Until the day we meet again... "word and peace chicken grease!"

First of all, I feel embarrassed to find out so late about my good friend passing. My sincere prayers and thoughts go out to the Bettons. My name is Seong Kim and I was Ryan’s roommate at VMI during his freshman year. While being the only Asian in the room, I was quite uncomfortable in the beginning. Ryan change that in a flash after he saw me wearing a UMich jacket. The friendship grew to a point where I can honestly say that he was a brother to me. Even though I haven’t kept touch with him for a long time, I was always thinking about him. It’s been 12 years since last I’ve seen him, and yet, I can clearly remember every single minute of the time spent with him. He had one of those personality that just beams out at you. When the room gets into an argument, he was the one that mediates. He was the bridge between all the roommates and I think Paul, Brad, and Brian could attest to that. Hey Ry, sup bro! Remember me? It’s Sung. Man… The last 3 times I’ve seen you or heard about you, I’m crying. The first being when I was leaving VMI, the second from being drunk at your house party, and now this. It’s Thursday, April 09, 2009. It’s embarrassing to even call myself a friend. When I saw your post on facebook, man… I kinda got sick to my stomach and I couldn’t work anymore. You know me, when something’s in my head, I have to get it out. So I just started to write. Compared to some of the other friends you had, we’ve only known each other for a very short period of time (2years). But in that short period, I found a real friend, I mean a REAL friend! I found me an advisor, and a confidant. Collinsville boy! LOL! I remember how you made Collinsville all big and wonderful… me being from city, I expected a little more than a hangout at Wal-Mart. But going there, it was the most fun 3-day vacation I ever had to this time! All the memories I have of you… the hell night where I didn’t know what “sound off” was and I yelled and you yelled out “Betton RK, sir!” going to Disney World on the band trip and just being silly at Paradise Island, “Broccoli!”, how BR perez fainted on our way up House Mountain and we had to push his stinking body up the mountain, Brad not meeting the weight requirement to give blood, “Arnold, Flex!” (LT. Townsend, after making a voodoo doll out of wire hanger), LT Gray asking me “give me 3 reasons why you don’t like Nascar?” and one of my answer was “because it’s a waste of gas, sir!”, the noodle court, flag football, paul almost getting killed from the rack falling about 6 inches away from his face, studying bio together (well, you did the studying, I did the computer chatting), my harsh introduction to moonshine and jell-o shots, and you telling me to chill when I was about to kill Ashley Wilmore. I have nothing but fond memories of you. I love you, bro! Your Asian brother, Sung

One year has passed and it still hurts...Miss you bro! -R2

Ryan, As we prepare to go back out to the ship tomorrow on the anniversary of your death, I realize that I still think about you a lot. I think about your trademark sayings, your quick wit, your wisdom beyond your years, your great sense of humor, your loyalty as a friend, your integrity, and your uncanny ability to make people feel better by your simply being there. You were a natural pilot, a respected leader, a dedicated and loving father and husband, and you are one of the best friends I'll ever have. I still miss you dearly. Tomorrow night we will be qualifying new students off the deck of the USS Eisenhower in the same waters off the coast of Virginia, and I can't think of a better place to be on the anniversary of your passing. In doing so, I truly hope we honor your memory. I hope you'll be there in the cockpit with me bud... "Word and peace chicken grease" Shocker

Ryan has touched our lives in a way no person can ever forget. The type of friendship that you can call a true friendship whether close to each other or not. We wanted his family to know that we think of him as well as them often and will never forget the wonderful memory he has left behind.

My life was forever changed that night on Harry S. Truman. When you finished your brief and walked out of the ready room and up to me and quickly asked "Doc, hows my sailors?" knowing the toll that the rigorus training flight schedule takes on them. I replied, everyone is doing good and ready to go home, I told you "Have a good flight, sir" and you said "will do, thanks for taking care of my sailors doc" as you walked to your plane. You taught me a ton LT, you showed me what it ment to be a Naval Officer. I will devote my life to taking care of sailors, The day I was able to ensure your final resting place would be somewhere other then the sea, I felt my mission was accomplished and my prayers were that your loving wife would find closure. I hope one day that I can share some of these memories with your son Ian, I want him to know what kind of man, and Naval Officer you were. Rest in Peace LT, we have the watch, and your sailors are well taken care of, Semper Fortis. T.R.Hand "Doc"

It was during our winter break in 1994. Ryan with the help of John Wright, opened the Betton home for a high school reunion/social to celebrate our return from college. It would be the first of countless times that the Betton family would open their home to Ry’s extended family of friends and allow all of us to converge in their living room. At that first gathering, there were several of us from our graduating class….we swapped stories of our college experiences and, comparatively, Ry was in a completely different world at VMI. He loved it. He loved memorizing the Rat Bible and being with his brother rats….gearing up for breakout…it was a perfect fit. Getting scuffs out of his school issued patent leather shoes seriously perplexed him and he’d ask me repeatedly about finding a remedy. He liked things to be just right. To this day, patent leather shoes make me think of him. The memory from that time that most embodies Ry to me is that he looked around his house (his parents were traveling at the time) and removed newspaper articles, awards, scrapbooks….anything that mentioned his high school accomplishments and stored them out of sight during the break. He was deeply humble about that sort of thing. In the days that followed, Ry took it upon himself to write a college entrance essay for a friend because he believed in them. Ry wanted the best for his friends and he was quick to give us that extra push when he felt we needed it. As our college years progressed, Ry and his VMI brothers made many, many road trips across Virginia and he’d especially love the band trips....in their time together, they’d bring bag pipes to the band. I had to smile when VMI’s Regimental Band got to march, w/ bagpipes and all, in the Rose Parade last year. I thought Ry was kidding when he brought up the bag pipe idea years ago. He of course answered with a “For real though, I’m serious.” Michigan wins a football game on the same day VMI is in the Rose Parade. Ry must have been behind that! Just before we graduated, Ry met Andrea, and instantly knew that she was the one. He was crazy about Andrea. It was really beautiful to hear him bubble over with happiness when talking about her. He was the same way with Ian. He was such a proud husband and daddy. Those updates on his family are what I’ve missed most. We’d been exchanging emails since we were 19 and I still have times when instinctively I want to fire off a quick note for his advice. I miss those honest opinions. On his birthday, I am reminded of the amazing friend he was to all of us. I’ll always miss him. I know he’d want us to push forward and be strong for his family. Ry would want us to embrace life just as he did and I feel certain he’s watching over all of us. My prayers continue to be with his family and friends.

Happy Birthday Ryan. We miss you so much.

Mrs Betton, My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to you and your son. My best friend Jerry was with your husband that fateful night! I wish you and your son well. Respectfully, Dyana Wood

Aside from my father, you have made perhaps the greatest impact on my life out of anyone. There are a myriad of memories that words cannot describe, but I distinctly remember the day that I asked you where to find the key for the filing drawer in your office. You responded "the key is in the bible my friend". And you meant that both literally and emblematically. In loving memory of you until the kingdom of heaven arrives...

Lt I think about you everytime I walk out on the flight line. You are someone I will aspire to be like the rest of my life. I will never forget you.

I will always remember how he would walk in to the shop to talk to us just before he would fly. Then when he landed he would come back in and sit and hang out with us and ask what we needed and made sure we were all taken care of. I think about him everyday and am thankful for the time I was able to spend with him. He was a great man and I will never forget him. He was a mentor and my family.

I met Andrea and Ryan in Atsugi, Japan when I was the Ombudsman for VAW-115. I stumbled upon the story, and I wanted to send my condolences to the family. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Ryan and my brother were friends in middle school and high school. Ryan was over at my house all the time...He was like a big brother to me. Ryan, I miss you and I wish that I would have kept in touch with you and your family more often thru the years. I know Chad feels the same. Today I found out that you will be laid to rest and I'm relieved that you are coming home. I think of you, Andrea and Ian often and always pray that Andrea and Ian are doing well. I'm so sorry that you are gone, but I trust that God has a plan. I smile when I think about you washing the dishes at my parents house, the time you bottomed out your mom's car in front of the high school, and what a great man you always were. You are greatly missed by so many.....

I went to high school woth Ryan, had several classes and of course Band. He was great to be around. After high school I kept up with what he was doing through my family and the Slaughters through church. I was deeply saddened when I heard the news, and then today that he had been found. I am grateful to know that this will hopefully bring closure to his families and make the holidays a little more bearable. He will truly be missed. God bless your family.

Ryan was one of my Brother Rats at VMI, my Band Company Commander, and one of the better guys to have graduated from VMI... It is always difficult to lose someone, especially in a tragedy such as this, doing his duty to defend our nation... Know that he's with God now and enjoying a peace he so richly deserves... My thoughts and prayers go to Ryan's family, particularly to Andrea and Ian... May God grant all of you peace and understanding in this time of deep sorrow...All My Love and Prayers, Marc P Clemente, Capt, USAF VMI 98 - MARC P CLEMENTE - WICHITA FALLS