United States Marine Corps. Captain Ross A. Reynolds was born on March 3, 1995, he was a lifelong resident of Leominster, MA until joining the Military. Ross died on Saturday, March 19, 2022, when his Osprey crashed during the NATO Exercise Cold Response in Norway along with four other Marines.

Ross had a devotion to service at an early age. He joined the Boy Scouts of America in elementary school. He obtained the status of Eagle Scout, scouting’s highest honor, in 2011 at the age of 16. He was active in the Order of the Arrow, serving on the Gischachsummen team and attending the National Order of the Arrow Conference in 2012. From 2009 to 2016, Ross was a member of the staff at the Boy Scouts of America Camp Wanocksett. He served in a number of areas including, Waterfront Director. He loved spending his summers at Camp!

He graduated from Leominster High School in 2013 where he was a member of the National Honor Society graduating with Honors. He was selected by the LHS faculty to attend the American Legion Boys’ State Civic Leadership Program in his Junior year. He also competed on the wrestling and soccer teams, and the LHS Devil Dogs Robotics club.

Ross continued his education at Worcester State University graduating Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice in 2017. While at Worcester State, Ross was a Presidential Student Ambassador and represented WSU abroad in the new partnership with the Letterkenny Inst. of Technology in Ireland and England. He also represented the University by attending a national conference in Washington D.C. Ross was also very active with Advancement’s Day of Giving events held on campus.

He began his military career in the NROTC program at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA in 2013. He graduated from Officer Candidate School in July of 2016 in Quantico, VA. Upon graduation from WSU in 2017, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He completed The Basic School in Quantico, VA in March of 2018. He continued his aviation training in Florida and Texas earning his pilot’s license in single engine and twin engine airplanes, and helicopters. He earned his “Wings” as a Naval Aviator, his greatest accomplishment, in August 2020. He was promoted to Captain in November 2021. He was stationed at M.C.A.S. New River, North Carolina and was assigned to the VMM-261 Osprey squadron. At the time of his death, he was stationed in Norway where he was participating in the NATO Exercise Cold Response.

His decorations included the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment ribbon, a Navy Arctic Service ribbon, and the Massachusetts Medal of Liberty Marine Corps.

Ross enjoyed creating patches for his Squadron; one of which, was worn by the Squadron in Norway. He also enjoyed hiking, camping, and boating along with cheering on his favorite team, the New England Patriots.