US Navy Medal of Honor recipient (1910?1992)
Donald Kirby Ross
(December 8, 1910 – May 27, 1992) was an officer of the
United States Navy
who received the first
Medal of Honor
of World War II. This award was made for his actions during the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor
in 1941.
Early career
[
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]
Ross was born on December 8, 1910, in
Beverly, Kansas
. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in
Denver, Colorado
, on June 3, 1929, and graduated as company honorsman from basic training at
Naval Station San Diego
. He completed
Machinist Mate
School at
Norfolk, Virginia
, first in his class and was assigned to the transport ship
USS
Henderson
(AP-1) on a
China
service run.
[1]
While serving aboard the
hospital ship
USS
Relief
(AH-1)
, Ross saw his first action (with the
U.S. Marines
) in
Nicaragua
in 1931. Advancing through the ranks on the
minesweeper
USS
Brant
(AM-24)
,
destroyer
USS
Simpson
(DD-221)
and
cruiser
USS
Minneapolis
(CA-36)
, he attained the rank of
warrant officer
machinist in October 1940, and was assigned to the
battleship
USS
Nevada
(BB-36)
.
[1]
[2]
World War II and post-war career
[
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]
During the December 7, 1941, Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor
,
Nevada
was badly damaged by bombs and
torpedoes
. Ross distinguished himself by assuming responsibility to furnish power to get the ship underway — the only battleship to do so during the Japanese attack.
[1]
[2]
When the forward
dynamo
room where he was stationed filled with smoke and steam, he ordered his men to leave and continued servicing the dynamo himself until being blinded and falling unconscious. Upon being rescued and resuscitated, he went back to secure the forward dynamo, then worked in the aft dynamo room until losing consciousness a second time due to exhaustion. After waking, he again returned to his duties until
Nevada
was
beached
. His actions kept the ship under power, preventing it from sinking in the channel and blocking other ships in the harbor.
[3]
[4]
Despite his impaired eyesight, Ross refused hospitalization and instead helped with rescue efforts. He entered a hospital three days after the attack, and his vision returned to normal after three weeks. He returned to
Nevada
, December 17, 1941, remaining in the ship's company for the duration of the war. For these actions, he was presented with the Medal of Honor by Admiral
Chester Nimitz
on April 18, 1942, becoming the first person to receive the medal in World War II.
[4]
Ross was promoted to chief warrant machinist in March 1942 and was commissioned an
ensign
in June 1942. Later in the war, he also served on
Nevada
during the
landings at Normandy
and
Southern France
.
[1]
[2]
He rose steadily in temporary rank to
lieutenant commander
by the end of the war, reverting to
lieutenant
at its conclusion. He again received promotion to lieutenant commander in 1949 and to
commander
in November 1954. Upon his retirement from active duty in July 1956, after twenty-seven years' of service aboard every type of surface ship then afloat, he was promoted to
captain
on the basis of his combat awards.
[1]
[2]
Later years and legacy
[
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]
After leaving the Navy, Ross settled in
Port Orchard, Washington
, and ran a dairy farm. He and his wife, Helen, had four children: Fred, Robert, Penny, and Donna.
[4]
He wrote a book about his fellow Medal of Honor recipients with ties to
Washington
State —
Men of Valor
— published in 1980.
[5]
Ross attended the 50th anniversary ceremonies at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1991, during which Ross was given the honor of introducing President George H. W. Bush. Ross also participated in the dedication of a memorial to his old ship, the USS
Nevada
.
[2]
Ross died of a heart attack in
Bremerton, Washington
, on May 27, 1992, at age 81.
[2]
[4]
His ashes were scattered at sea over the USS
Nevada
.
[6]
In 1997, the guided-missile
destroyer
USS
Ross
(DDG-71)
was named in his honor.
[2]
Awards
[
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]
Medal of Honor citation
[
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]
Ross' official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For distinguished conduct in the line of his profession, extraordinary courage and disregard of his own life during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. When his station in the forward dynamo room of the U.S.S. Nevada became almost untenable due to smoke, steam, and heat, Machinist Ross forced his men to leave that station and performed all the duties himself until blinded and unconscious. Upon being rescued and resuscitated, he returned and secured the forward dynamo room and proceeded to the after dynamo room where he was later again rendered unconscious by exhaustion. Again recovering consciousness he returned to his station where he remained until directed to abandon it.
[3]
See also
[
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]
Ross, Donald K.
0755: The Heroes of Pearl Harbor
, Rokalu Press, 1988.
References
[
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]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Namesake"
.
Official website of USS ROSS (DDG 71)
. United States Navy. Archived from
the original
on April 27, 2011
. Retrieved
May 26,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"Captain Donald Kirby Ross, USN, (1910?1992)"
.
Online Library of Selected Images
.
Naval History & Heritage Command
. December 10, 2000. Archived from
the original
on May 10, 2011
. Retrieved
May 26,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Medal of Honor Recipients - World War II (M?S)"
.
Medal of Honor Citations
.
United States Army Center of Military History
. December 3, 2010. Archived from
the original
on April 30, 2008
. Retrieved
May 26,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Capt. Donald Ross, 81; Won Medal of Honor"
.
New York Times
. June 1, 1992
. Retrieved
2008-09-12
.
- ^
Ross, Donald K.; Ross, Helen (1980).
Washington State Men of Valor
. Coffee Break Press.
OCLC
6922499
.
- ^
Sterner, C. Douglas.
"Gravesite of Medal of Honor recipient Donald Kirby Ross"
. HomeofHeroes.com
. Retrieved
2008-09-12
.
External links
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]