By Rick Burke, Navy Office
of Community Outreach Public Affairs
A 1984 graduate of Appleton
High School East and Appleton, Wisconsin native was recently frocked to U.S.
Navy 1-star Rear Admiral (Lower Half), during a frocking ceremony held aboard
USS WISCONSIN, pier side at Nauticus Museum in Norfolk, Virginia.
RDML Erik M. Ross (middle), President,
Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV), is the Senior Executive for assessing
material readiness of all ships, submarines and aircraft carriers for the U.S.
Navy.
“I am honored and humbled to
be able to continue to serve the Navy and our Nation,” said Ross. “It took the
support and mentoring of friends, family, and hundreds of Sailors and Officers
to enable me to serve at the next level.
For that I am extremely grateful, humbled, and motivated to represent
their efforts in everything I do.”
Ross, a Surface Warfare
Officer (SWO), has currently served in the Navy for 29 years.
SWO’s primary duties focus
on operation of Navy ships at
sea, leading and training Sailors, and the management of various shipboard
systems; their ultimate goal is to command a Navy surface ship. Ross
has commanded two ships: USS WHIDBEY ISLAND (LSD 41) and USS BATAAN (LHD 5).
Ross graduated from Cornell
University, located in Ithaca, New York, in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Government (with a concentration in International Relations).
He continued his education
and graduated from the University of San Diego in 1995 with a Master of Arts
degree in International Relations.
INSURV, located in Virginia
Beach, Va., conducts thorough inspections globally that examine ships
against Navy standards to assess combat readiness across a myriad of material
areas.
Ross’, spouse, Cindy Ross, mother,
Suzanne Ross, brother, David Ross, both daughters, Angel and Dani Ross, son, Matthew
Ross, a Midshipman with NAVAL Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Villanova, and
friends were in attendance for the ceremony. His sister, Debbie Driscoll, who resides in Oshkosh, Wisconsin was unable to attend.