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In The

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Sgt. Charles
Nathan Ross:_
respect for the
military with
a Jewish bent.

Not your run-of-the-mill recruit,
Sergeant Charles Nathan Ross leads a Jewish life in the military.

n

SUSAN TAWIL

Special to the Jewish News

e's got the best posture
you've ever seen.
That's one of the
marks the Army left on
Sergeant Charles Nathan Ross, 33, an
Oak Park native who joined the
Marines fresh out of high school in
_
1983.
"I always liked playing Army when
I was a kid," he quips.
Following boot camp, Ross was
assigned to Aviation Ordnance (a
military term meaning weapons and
explosives). After graduating in the
top three of his class, Ross worked
with jets, attack helicopters and 50-
caliber machine guns. By the end of
his four-year tour of duty, Ross had

1/2
1998

62

earned the rank of lance corporal.
Oh, yeah. The military wasn't
without a touch of anti-Semitism.
Most incidents were relatively minor,
hurtful comments, with Ross being
the target of crude remarks from fel-
low Marines like: "You'd better not
be a spy for Israel!," "We'll buy you
some oven cleaner for your birthday,"
and "Got any relatives in the ash-
tray?"
His drill instructor bellowed:
"Marine pork chops are good! You're
gonna eat them, Private Ross!"
But some were major. Like the
time a swastika was drawn on his
locker tag, and "Jew Boy" was written
inside a hat. One night, a bunk mate
whispered, "Let's burn the Jew!" and,
as a "joke," set his mattress on fire.
Ross is good-natured about such

confrontations. He shrugs them off,
attributing them to frustration from
the strict discipline of the military,
and ignorance ("Some of them had
never met a Jew before," he says).
Says Ross, an important part of
military life is learning "to deal with
others. After a while they realize we're
all in this together."
Wherever he was stationed, Ross
always found at least one other
Jewish Marine on base to hang out
with. After being discharged, he and
a buddy traveled to Israel for a year,
volunteering on kibbutzim.
Returning stateside, Ross attended
the University of Michigan until '91,
when he re-entered the military. He
joined the Army Reserve, working as
a chaplain assistant for three years.
Ross is currently administrative

sergeant in the Army's Active Guard
Reserve Program with the 300th
Military Police Command in Inkster.
"It's just like a regular office job,
except we get to wear these neat
clothes," he says.
Yes, he's patriotic. "The military is
important," says Ross, "for protecting
peace, for keeping our status quo of
freedom and opportunity. Besides —
you get paid to exercise!"
At-ease, Ross volunteers at Sinai's
rehab department and broadcasts the
inspirational "Positive Tips" for the
Detroit Radio Information Service at
WD ET.
And, for women who go wild over
men in uniform: six-foot-two, eyes of
blue, and unattached. "The Army
hasn't issued me a wife yet," Ross
deadpans.

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