Mac Ross: Difference between revisions

Captain Mac Ross
Born	Mac Ross 1912 or 1916 Dallas County, Alabama, US
Died	Ramitelli Airfields
Resting place	American Cemetery-Sicily, Plot J, Row 15, Grave 70, near Rome, Italy.
Alma mater	Howard University, University of Connecticut's School of Law (did not finish)
Occupations	Military officer fighter pilot
Years active	1941–1944

Mac Ross (1912 or 1916 - July 10, 1944) was an U.S. Army Air Force officer, combat fighter pilot, 100th Fighter Squadron's Squadron Commander, 332nd Fighter Group's Group Operations Officer of the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” ("Black Birdmen") among enemy German pilots. He was one of the 1007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.

He was among the group of five African American officers to receive their silver wings as the inaugural class of the Tuskegee Army Flying School.

Early Life, Family

Based on contrasting records, Ross was born in either 1912 or 1916 in Selma, Alabama, Dallas County. He was the son of Eddie Samuel and Willie Ross. Ross had several siblings including Eddie Ross, Sammy Ross, Jerry Ross, Arthur Ross, Suritha Ross Brooks, Geniva Ross Chinn, and Willa Ross Morgan.

During his military service, Ross was listed as a resident of Dayton, Ohio. Prior to enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Ross worked as an inspector at an iron works in Ohio.

In 1943, Ross married Abbie Voorhies (born August 20, 1915), a U.S. Army lieutenant and member of the Army Nurses Corps from Moreauville, Louisiana and Alexandria, Louisiana. They met Voorhies worked at Tuskegee's base hospital. A few months after their marriage, Ross deployed overseas.

Military Service, Tuskegee Airmen

Though passed over for pilot training several times, Ross was admitted into the U.S. Army Air Corps Tuskegee Aviation Cadet training program's inaugural single-engine 42-C-SE Class on July 19, 1941 at Tuskegee Army Air Field. The inaugural class included

• Student officer Captain Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Commandant of Cadets, and future Tuskegee Airmen Commander and future U.S. four-star general;
• John C. Anderson, Jr.;
• Charles D. Brown
• Theodore E. Brown
• Marion A. Carter
• Charles H. DeBow, Jr. (Feb 13, 1918 – April 4, 1968); and
• Lemuel R. Custis
• Frederick H. Moore
• Ulysses S. Pannell
• George S. Roberts ("Spanky" Roberts) (September 24, 1918 - March 8, 1984);
• William H. Slade
• Roderick C. Williams.

During cadet training, Ross bailed out of his P-40 training aircraft, making him the first ever African American member of the Caterpillar Club, an informal association of people who have successfully used a parachute to bail out of a disabled aircraft. Nonetheless, on March 6, 1942, only five cadets graduated from the program, receiving their silver wings: 2nd Lt. Ross, Captain Benjamin O. Davis Jr., 2nd Lt. Charles DeBow Jr., 2nd Lt. Lemuel R. Custis, and 2nd Lt. George S. Roberts ("Spanky" Roberts). Class 42-C-SE created America's first African-American U.S. Army Air Corps pilots.

On May 26, 1942, Ross became the Squadron Commander of the 332nd Fighter Group's 100th fighter squadron, with Lt George Knox and SE-42-A classmate Charles DeBow serving as his adjutants.

In July 1942, Ross became the 332nd Fighter Group's Group Operations Officer. On March 27, 1943, his squadron transferred to Selfridge Field in Mt Clements, Michigan. During World War II, Ross flew over 50 combat missions in the European Theater.

Unit Assignments

• 1941–1942, AAF MOS 770, Aviation Cadet Flight School, Tuskegee AAF
• 1942–1944, AAF MOS 1055, 99th Fighter Squadron, AL, French Morocco, Tunisia, Italy
• 1943–1943, AAF MOS 1055, 33rd Fighter Group, Qued N'ja, French Morocco; Fardjouna, Tunisia
• 1943–1943, AAF MOS 1055, 324th Fighter Group, Fardjouna Airfield
• 1943–1943, AAF MOS 1055, 33rd Fighter Group, Licata, Termini, & Barcellona Airfields, Sicily
• 1943–1944, AAF MOS 1055, 79th Fighter Group, Salsola, Madna, & Capodichino Airfields
• 1944–1944, AAF MOS 1055, 324th Fighter Group, Cercola & Pignataro Airfields
• 1944–1944, AAF MOS 1055, 332nd Fighter Group, Ciampino, Orbetello, & Ramitelli Airfields

Major Campaigns

• 1941–1944, World War II
• 1943–1943, Operation Strangle
• 1943–1943, Sicily Campaign (1943)
• 1943–1944, Naples-Foggia Campaign (1943-44)
• 1944–1944, Anzio Campaign (1944)
• 1944–1944, Rome-Arno Campaign (1944)
• 1944–1944, Normandy Campaign (1944)

Awards

• Distinguished Flying Cross
• Legion of Merit
• Purple Heart

Death, Notification of Death, Wife's Remarriage

Ross was killed during flight check and transition training when his newly-acquired P-51 Mustang suffered mechanical failure, nosediving into the ground. He was interred at the American Cemetery-Sicily, Plot J, Row 15, Grave 70, near Rome, Italy.

Back in American, Ross's wife, Abbie Voorhies Ross, received a home visit from men in uniforms who informed her that her husband had been killed. After World War II, Abbie transferred to Columbus, Ohio's Lockbourne Air Force Base. After leaving the U.S. Army June 30, 1947 with the rank of Captain, Abbie eventually settled in Los Angeles in 1950, marrying Melvin DeVerges. They raised two sons: Ronald DeVerges and Donald DeVerges. As of 2019, Abbie Voorhies Ross DeVerges, a centenarian, lives in Northridge, California.

Legacy

• On June 27, 1989, the U.S. Postal Service dedicated its Dayton, Ohio's Mac Ross Memorial Philatelic Room in honor of Ross. A plaque displayed at the Dayton Post Office on East 5th Street.
• In 2000, the city of Selma, Alabama honored Ross Ross with a resolution honoring his service and sacrifice.

See also

• Executive Order 9981
• List of Tuskegee Airmen
• List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes
• Military history of African Americans