Ryan was born on September 23, 1978, and was raised in Teague, Texas, and met his wife Deanna in College Station, Texas, and together they made a home in Falcon, Colorado, with their three children, Stryder, Grace, and Garrett. Sergeant Major (SGM) Sartor enlisted in the United States Army in 2001 and was soon deployed as an infantryman in the 3rd Infantry Division to help lead the Invasion of Iraq in 2002. Upon returning from his first deployment in Iraq, SGM Sartor was selected for the Special Forces Qualification Course and earned his Green Beret; and served the next fourteen years as a Special Forces Green Beret and was deployed more than a dozen times, including combat operations in Iraq, Germany, Israel, Africa, and Afghanistan. Due to the breadth of his talent, skills, and dedication to service, SGM Sartor earned many awards and decorations, including the Bronze Medal with three oak clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation Award, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Valorous Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Unit Citation with one oak leaf cluster, and 36” the National Defense Service Medal. SGM Sartor also earned the Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Senior Parachutist Badge, the Special Operations Diver Badge, and the Dive Supervisor Badge. On February 7th, 2019, Ryan said goodbye to his family and departed for what would become his final deployment to serve as Company Sergeant Major for Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion of 10th Special Forces Group. SGM Sartor was always a muddy boots leader and, accordingly, went out on at least one mission with each of his teams. On July 13, 2019, SGM Sartor went out with his final team located in the Faryab Province in Afghanistan, and came under enemy fire, sustaining injuries from small-arms fire, and sadly died from those injuries. SGM Sartor was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal. SGM Sartor served his country well and lived a life that honored God with dignity and integrity and is still known as a man that even other Green Berets looked up to.