I got to meet Ronald
Alan Ross while stationed at Vint Hill Farms Station, an Army base outside
of Warrenton, Virginia. We immediately became close. He was one of the two
kindest people that I met while in the Army and it was not difficult to keep
in touch with him when he left for OCS and I left for Sinop, Turkey.
After graduating from OCS, he went through extensive combat training. He was stationed in southern California at Fort Irwin. We were fortunate to get to see each other for several months before he was finally assigned to a tour in Vietnam. I stayed with Ron until his flight left the ground from Travis Air Force Base. I let his Mother and Father know that all went well and he left on time and without incident..
He began his tour December 29, 1968. I quickly wrote my first letter written to him in Vietnam and he told me it was the first one he received from family. We began planning the coming home party we would have when he came home. I would receive my last letter from him that was written on October 31, 1969. Since time was getting close to his arrival for the party that I immediately wrote back. Two weeks later I received a letter from the Defense Department with my letter enclosed. Ronald was killed by hostile small arms fire on October 31, 1969 in the Quang Duc province of South Vietnam. His body was recovered. It took me several hours before I could call his Mother and Father. They told me that they tried to get in touch with me but were unable to do so. They had his funeral that day. I still treasure all the letters he wrote to me before his tragic death.
He was killed as a First Lieutenant and posthumously promoted to Captain.
Ronald's wife arranged for a military funeral and he was buried in the Field Of Honor portion of the Highland Memorial Park, Muskego, Wisconsin on November 15, 1969.
Ronald is survived by his wife Trisha, and his son John Anthony who was born while Ron was in Vietnam. On many occasions, he told me how much he loved his wife and new son and I just wish he could have met that little trouper he called his son before his life ended so abruptly.
Ron is also survived by his mother Katherine, father John, and his two younger brothers, Gerald and James. It was not difficult for me to figure out why he was such a wonderful person. He had a mother and father and family who were so kind and considerate of others it stood to reason that he would inherit this same kindness.
My relationship with Ronald was way too short. He always told me that we can express feelings because life is too short and we may never get the opportunity a second time. That made our time in life together complete.
By the way, Ronald also has one older brother Willie.
(that was me)
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