Merchant Marines were not recognized at the end of World War II for their service, but last month, the branch as a whole received the highest honor the United States Congress can bestow on an individual or institution.
Bob Ross, 94, a Merchant Marine veteran of WWII, attended a ceremony on May 18 in Washington D.C. to accept the award on behalf of the branch.
A ceremony was attended by a handful of Congressional leaders, mariner veterans of WWII and Ross and his family.
Ross joined the merchant Marines at 14-years-old in the midst of the Second World War. He served in the South Pacific and Atlantic, where he earned the South Pacific Victory Medal, the Pacific War Zone Bar and the Atlantic War Zone Bar.
"I was just a kid. Actually, I had my 15th birthday in the South Pacific," Ross said in 2019. "Just a different kind of patriotic atmosphere back then."
Since then, Ross has been an advocate for his fellow merchant mariners who were denied veteran's status until 1988, when a federal court ordered they be given that recognition.
"Mr. Ross is a shining example of the American Spirit," said Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-AR4. "His decision to serve our country in one of its greatest times of need, at the tender age of 14, is inspirational and extraordinary. Mr. Ross is a true patriot and I am proud to see him honored today for his courageous service."
In 2018, Ross was recognized by then-Mayor Frank Hash, who in one of his last acts in office declared that Dec. 31, 2018 would be Bobby Gene "Bob" Ross Day in El Dorado. Hash said then that Ross had been instrumental in having the American Merchant Marine Memorial Monument placed on the Union County Courthouse lawn.
In 2020, Ross was due to attend the 75th Commemoration of the End of WWII in Hawaii; however, the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately limited in-person attendance.
Ross to this day authors the Razorback American Merchant Marine Veterans newsletter. Additionally, Ross has continued to work to secure veteran's benefits for Merchant Mariners, who have been denied those benefits despite their recognition as veterans.
According to the Merchant Marine website, mariners suffered the highest rate of casualties of any service in WWII; one in 26 mariners died in the war. About 12,000 were injured or taken prisoner, according to the United States Congress website.
"We had thousands drowned and slaughtered. We were torpedoed. We had mines that we hit. We had kamikaze pilots that would drive down our smoke stacks," Ross said in 2019.
Ross was sick following the trip to D.C. last month, but his daughter Shirley Knight said he and the rest of his family were honored by the recognition.
"Dad is a good old guy... He does a lot for the love of the merchant marines," she said. "It's a thrill. it's something that no one ever expected and I think he well deserves it. He's a good guy -- he worked hard and provided for his family."
Knight said her dad's newsletter has helped not only keep Merchant Mariners who served during WWII in touch over the years, it has also helped to promote the service branch's interests, like in receiving health care and other veterans' benefits.
According to information provided by Westerman's office, May's ceremony was the first time Merchant Mariners had been recognized nationally with the Congressional Gold Medal.
The Congressional Gold Medal will be displayed at the American Merchant Marine Museum in Kings Point, New York. Each surviving Merchant Mariner -- now estimated to number about 12,000 from the World War II years -- will receive a bronze replica of the coveted award, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Following his time in the service, Ross went on to own Hollywood Cleaners and become an internationally-recognized weightlifter. In 1975, he won a gold medal in his weight class at the National Masters Weight Championship, founded the El Dorado Barbell Club at the El Dorado Boys Club (now known as the Boys and Girls Club) and helped build a champion powerlifting team at Louisiana Tech University.
The back side of Bob Ross' Congressional Gold Medal is seen. (Caitlan Butler/News-Times)
Bob Ross holds a "Victory" tapestry during a ceremony recognizing Merchant Marine veterans of World War II with Congressional Gold Medals. (Contributed)
Bob Ross poses with Rep. Bruce Westerman, second from left, and other U.S. military and government officials in Washington D.C. (Contributed)
Bob Ross is pictured with his daughter, Shirley Knight, at a ceremony recognizing Merchant Marine veterans of World War II in Washington D.C. (Contributed)