RJ RYAN

RJ Ryan is a comedian and motivational speaker. RJ served in a Seabee Battalion in the Navy in the early 90s, deploying to the Caribbean and Okinawa. RJ got out and had a successful career and was moving on with his life when the War on Terror began. It had been eleven years since he last wore a uniform. RJ sold everything he owned and trained up for several months, then went back in, this time into the Army.

RJ started to hone his comedic skills when he was informed that, because of his years away, he would have to go back to boot camp again. RJ likens it to ‘the worst summer camp ever.’ Knowing all the games, RJ began to joke with both the Drill Sergeants and fellow recruits, keeping spirits up and even getting ‘coined’ by the Commanding Officer.

RJ became a Combat Medic, serving in the Ranger community as well as a Flight Medic with the 1st Infantry Division, aka ‘The Big Red One.’ He has earned the title of Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist, Airborne Wings, Army Aviation Crew Wings, Expert Field Medical Badge, and a Combat Infantry Badge from a patient he worked on in Iraq (his most prized possession).

RJ got out again to raise a family, and was ‘lost’ for a few years, until he went for a self-imposed ‘farfetched’ dream, becoming a stand-up comedian. The first time he got on stage, he knew he was home. Since then, RJ has performed at clubs and military bases around the country. Notably he has been a finalist at the US Comedy Contest in Hollywood and competed in the Main Event at the World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas, as well as a writer and actor for a TV show that never got picked up and can be heard regularly on Sirius XM’s Laugh USA.

Performing at corporate shows for companies like Golden Corral, RJ has performed at notable clubs such as the World Famous Ice House Comedy Clubin Los Angeles, LA Comedy Club at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, Blue Room Comedy Club in Springfield MO, Crackers in Indianapolis, and the Comedy Caravan in Louisville.

RJ tries to interject his comedy into stories about leadership, values, and teamwork. His examples come from the heroes he served with and some crazy situations that he faced while in the military both in combat and stateside.