Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan to Polish immigrants on November 6, 1927, Henry “Hank” Ryber has one of the rare distinctions of being drafted not once, but twice. He was first drafted at the age of 18, during the clean-up effort at the end of WWII in April of 1946, in order to relieve soldiers who had been on duty during the war. He was honorably discharged in March of 1947.

Henry’s service time was just under a year, which made him eligible for the draft again. The Korean War was underway, and the draft began again in 1950. Engaged at the time to his sweetheart Helen, Henry received his draft notice again and started his service in October 1950. He married Helen during this time and went on to serve two years in the Army Signal Corps, traveling over much of Europe. After his honorable discharge in October 1952, Henry worked as an engineer at Ford Motor Company for 40 years and raised a family with Helen in Dearborn Heights. They had three children and three grandchildren. His grandson Michael is now a Northville resident. Henry remained a proud patriot until his death in 2017.

- Michael Conniff III and family