He shook the hand of General Patton.
He was decorated with The Order of the Purple Heart, three Bronze Stars and the Knight of the Legion of Honor medal from the French government.
But, Andy Biddle’s first memory of Elton Ross came many years after Ross left his mark in France as a member of the Co. D, 48th Tank Battalion in the latter part of World War II.
“I knew who he was when I was in Boy Scouts, back in the 60s,” Biddle, a longtime Crawfordsville barber, said. “He was pretty active in the local Boy Scout organization.”
Ross, who died April 1 at the age of 95, was ushered into the military draft immediately following his high school graduation from Columbus High School in 1943. At age 19 his tank was hit in Barr, Alsace, France in November of 1944, leaving him seriously injured. He would rejoin his unit just six weeks later, and by the time the Allies claimed victory in 1945, Ross was a Sgt. Tank Commander.
After meeting his wife of 69 years, Marguerite, and graduating from Purdue University in 1950, Ross moved his family to Crawfordsville and began a career at Hoosier Crown.
And much like the time he dedicated to the Boy Scouts of America, that’s what he did with many local organizations for the next 67 years, including becoming an active member at First United Methodist Church, where Biddle was eventually formally introduced.
So when Biddle signed up to be a guardian for a Veteran Honor Flight in 2012 and saw Ross on the list — it was a no-brainer.
“When I signed up I was just going to go with anybody, and then I got the list and saw Elton was on there and called the lady back and I told her ‘Elton and I go to the same church and I know him and I’d really like to go with him if that’s OK,’ and she was really grateful for that.”
Biddle accompanied Ross and several other veterans on a day trip to Washington, D.C. in September 2012.
“The funny thing was I had a hard time keeping up with him,” Biddle said. “He was a great guy, and I really enjoyed getting to know him.”
After spending the day with Ross and the others, Biddle gained a better appreciation for World War II veterans.
“I think back and those kids were only 18 or 19 years old. They were all pretty dedicated,” he said. “It was just the attitude that they had a job to do. When they talk about the greatest generation, they changed the world. Our world would be a lot different if it wasn’t for that generation.”
Biddle continued to stay in touch with Ross after the Honor Flight, and that day changed their friendship forever.
“From that day on, I called him sarge.”
