For his actions during the war, Gross received the Silver
Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and Distinguished
Unit Citation. He was discharged from the Army Air Corps
as a Captain in September of 1945.
Gross received his D.M.D. in 1958 from the University
of Oregon and practiced dentistry for 40 years before
retiring in 1998. In addition to his dental practice,
he established a travel agency (Kelly N-I Travel) which
he retired from in 2005. Gross was also the National
Vice President of the Air Force Association from 1978-1977
as well as the National President of the American Fighter
Aces Association from 1979-1980. |
In
1943 he was sent to the European Theater flying the P-47
Thunderbolt with the 354th Fighter Group until 1944 when
he transitioned into the P-51 Mustang (his aircraft dubbed
'Live Bait'). Upon converting to the P-51, Gross started
realizing dramatic successes in air combat. In 1944 he
was credited with 5 aerial victories over German Bf 109
fighters, promptly achieving his status as an ace. However,
in 1945 he successfully shot down a German Me 262 jet fighter.
The Air Force's official roster of aerial victories does
not list this as a kill, it was recognized during the war
as well as the by the American Fighter Aces Association.
The Me 262 pilot was injured but managed to bail out and
in 1995, Gross was able to finally meet the pilot, Kurt
Lobgesong. Because of Lobgesong's injuries, he was unable
to fly in combat again, yet told Gross "you saved
my life."
