Washington Ross was born March 4, 1919, in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. His family moved to Kentucky when he was very young. In 1941, Col. Ross received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with honors from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, Virginia. During his years at Hampton, through his participation in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPT), he received his Private Pilot's License. Ross completed graduate work at Wayne State University as well as at the University of Detroit, from which he earned an MA Degree in The Teaching of Mathematics. He also earned a BBA and an MBA from D'Etre University (in Detroit Michigan). Col. Ross began his military service when he arrived at Tuskegee as part of the class 43-I. In 1943, he graduated as a Fighter Pilot with the rank of Second Lieutenant. In October of 1943, he was sent to Selfridge Field, Michigan, for overseas training. Ten of his classmates joined the 332nd Fighter Group and left for the European Theater in December of 1943. After spending some time in North Africa where he received additional training, he was transferred to Naples, Italy. There he finally joined the 332nd and from his base, he flew patrol in P-39s. Eventually, Ross was transferred to the 15th Air Force where he flew P-47s, and finally, P-51s on long escort missions protecting bombers. The 332nd has a long-standing record achieving a nearly perfect record for safely in escorting bomber missions. Col. Ross flew a total of 63 sorties and missions. As the war wound down, his squadron was disbanded. After active military service, Col. Ross joined the United States Air Force Reserves (USAFRES) where he served for twenty years in a number of assignments. It should be noted that the Tuskegee Airmen organization as we know it today originated in Detroit, Michigan. Col. Ross is considered to be one of the original founders for this nationally recognized organization.