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Josie Ryder

Josephine Elaine “Josie” Ryder is an American television journalist, novelist and a former US Naval Officer. She is best known for her work as a correspondent for World News Network, serving as an embedded journalist with American and NATO military units involved in the Global War on Terror.

Early Life

Josie Ryder was born aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwaikuni, Japan to Brigadier General Alex Ryder (USMC) and his wife – network TV journalist Miranda Ryder, just prior to General Ryder’s retirement from the Marine Corps. The family set up nominal housekeeping in Corpus Christie, Texas and Josie grew up there – but for the majority of her childhood her parents careers kept them in a near-constant state of travel abroad (her father had accepted a position with Boeing post-military) – and Josie’s up-bringing was mainly conducted by nannies, housekeepers and overseen by her paternal grandmother.

Josie’s parents were both killed on December 21st 1988 when Pan Am Flight 103 was downed by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie Scotland. Josie was twelve at the time and attending Incarnate Word School in San Antonio.
Josie was described as a “bright girl with a gift for words” and after graduating from high school, she took a dual degree in Public Relations and Journalism at Texas A&M. Josie participated in US Navy ROTC while at A&M and was commissioned upon graduation.

Career

US Navy

Josie served four years in the US Navy at a Public Relations Officer – also attending the Defense Languages Course in Monterey (Arabic) before being assigned to postings in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. She was promoted to the grade of Lieutenant (jg) before applying for transfer to the Inactive Reserve in order to pursue a career in journalism.

Journalism

World News Network correspondent Jessica Strange, herself a protégée of Josie’s mother, met and befriended Josie while both were assigned to King Khalid Military City in Saudi Arabia. Following Josie’s separation from the Navy, Strange recruited her as a junior WNN correspondent and served as her mentor until Strange’s death from anthrax-exposure ten years later.

Josie gained almost immediate notice from the WNN management when she was pressed into service covering the Terror Attacks of September 11th 2001. Josie was present near the Pentagon filming an unrelated story for WNN when American Airlines Flight 77 was used in a suicide attack on the building. Josie provided on-sight coverage for two hours until a more senior correspondent could be set-up on-scene, and her handling of the unexpected and chaotic event would put her in line for bigger assignments much earlier than she would otherwise have been able to expect them.

Josie’s military background and access as well as her language skills ensured her of “interesting” overseas assignments during the War on Terror. She found herself covering the retaliatory invasion of Afghanistan both from an aircraft carrier and as an embedded journalist with a US Marine battalion. Still later, she was reassigned to cover the 2003 invasion of Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) – embedded with the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and accompanying them on the “Thunder Run” to Baghdad.

Josie has remained in the employ of WNN and has had more or less continual assignments to Iraq or Afghanistan, with short breaks to cover Hurricane Katrina and other non-war events. She has received numerous awards for journalistic excellence, has been wounded while on assignment three times – twice seriously – and has received letters of appreciation from both the Wounded Warrior Project and the Marine Corps League.

She is currently on leave-of-absence from WNN following injuries received in the Saudi Arabian Asunni Uprising, and is working on completing her first novel while she recuperates.

Philanthropy

Josie has been a frequent proponent of the Wounded Warrior Project and was (along with the parents of Ms Strange) the organizer of the Jessica Strange Foundation for Journalistic Excellence – a non-profit group that helps fund scholarships for students wishing to pursue a degree in investigative journalism.

Personal Life

Josie Ryder is unmarried and a self-admitted “workaholic” who has little time for involvements outside of her work. When she can find time for it, she is an avid outdoorswoman who enjoys hiking, camping, rock-climbing, boating, Off-Roading and hunting.

She is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. She declines to comment on her political or religious affiliations.

Scandal

Following the death of her friend and mentor WNN Anchor Jessica Strange, rumors circulated that Ms. Strange’s former husband had made allegations of a romantic relationship between Josie and his late ex-wife that went back almost a decade. WNN nor any other major media outlet picked up on the allegations and they remained relegated to the tabloid media for a brief period before dropping out of sight completely. Josie herself has never commented on the matter.

((Josie was never a "famous" TV journalist in the sense of being a network anchor, but her face might be familiar to anyone who watches the world news regularly.))