Ed Ross, who served on the USS Chandeleur (AV-10) during the invasion of Okinawa in 1945, has recently been awarded his service medals.
United States Representative Ron Kind learned from Ross’s family that some of his medals were missing, so he initiated an investigation to determine what medals he should have. As a result, Kind conferred seven medals upon Ross in the American Legion Hall in Eleva. The awards included the Victory Medal and the Asian Pacific Campaign Medal.
Ross, who was 90 at the time of the ceremony, grew up in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. ‘My country needed me,’ he said. He trained at Great Lakes training center in Illinois as a gunner’s mate, Leader-Telegram reported.
After the war, he moved to Wisconsin to be near his brothers.
He was nonchalant about receiving the medals, saying it was a good excuse for a beer and a get-together with his friends.
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