George Ray Ratliff
Agency patch
Private

George Ray Ratliff

United States Army Military Police Corps — Fort Leonard Wood, MO
Veteran → Accident
End of Watch November 14, 1936
Age 22
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 72 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Private George Ratliff was killed in a vehicle crash while pursuing a speeding motorist at the intersection of Wilson Road and Newman Highway near Fort Bliss.

Private Ratliff and another military policeman were traveling west on Wilson Road with their sirens blaring, attempting to apprehend a speeding vehicle. As their military police vehicle approached the intersection, it struck a car traveling south on Newman Highway, driven by local college students returning home from an event. After the patrol vehicle collided with the car, it struck a telephone pole, overturned, and landed on top of the other car, which had also overturned. Private Ratliff was on the passenger side and died at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle succumbed to his injuries later that night. The other military policeman and the three other students all recovered from the incident.

Witnesses stated that the vehicle the military police were chasing was traveling at an excessive speed, and the sirens were heard four blocks away. None of the members of the accident recall the moments leading up to or the accident. The speeding driver was never apprehended.

Private Ratliff was assigned to the First Cavalry Division, Headquarters Troop stationed at Fort Bliss.

Survivors

He was survived by his mother and brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-28E644A5
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Private Ratliff gave the United States Army Military Police Corps 2 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Fort Leonard Wood, MO
Platform Identity usampcmp.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 14, 1936
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 22
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

George Ray Ratliff served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Private George Ray Ratliff is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.

In MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 29.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Army Military Police Corps, 39 of 65 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

United States Army Military Police Corps
39
of 65 officers
60% Accident
MO — Statewide
237
of 813 officers
29.2% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,756 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George Ray Ratliff's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How George Ray Ratliff Compares

Age at Death
22
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
2
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. George Ray Ratliff is highlighted in Nov.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

George Ray Ratliff served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit George Ray Ratliff’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.