He served with B Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. One night, he and three other comrades were trapped under enemy fire. All four were wounded; Ross was the only one able to fight. Ross gathered his comrades' rifles and grenades and single-handedly fought nearly two dozen Japanese soldiers over an entire night, killing them all by morning. Two of the Marines died, but he carried the third on his shoulders to safety; the other man weighed 230 lb (104 kg) compared to Ross' 140 lb (64 kg). Ross was awarded America's third highest military honor, the Silver Star,[1] as well as a presidential citation.[6] As one of America's greatest "celebrity" war heroes, he was honored by President Roosevelt in a Rose Garden ceremony. He was also awarded the Edward J. Neil Trophy as "the outstanding boxer of 1942" by the Boxing Writers Association of New York.[6]
Came here to post about the childhood friendship with Jack Ruby. If I remember right, Barney was more or less on his own from his early teens because his father was murdered and his mom had a nervous breakdown, or something close to that. It baffles me that there isn't a big film about Barney coming from Hollywood: a handsome guy who came from an ultra-orthodox Jewish family and family tragedy. Becomes 3 division champ, serves his country and gets wounded badly in heroic service. Bobby Chacon is another one. How is that not a blockbuster yet? Imagine the pop in theaters when Bobby floors Bazooka Limon in the closing seconds of the 15th to end the movie after surviving his wife's tragic suicide (rip Valerie).
There actually was a biopic on Barney. It was called "****** on my back" and Cameron Mitchell played Barney. It detailed much but was really focused on the addiction from morphine he developed when recovering from his war wounds. haven't seen it in a long time but I think a remake would be cool.
I wonder why the name of the movie got blotted out? The word that was blotted was M - O - N - K - E - Y. The term for an addiction.
There's a biography about Lew Jenkins due out late 2018 to be published by Rowman & Littlefield, titled From Boxing Ring to Battlefield: The Life of War Hero Lew Jenkins. Should be November timeframe, maybe we can generate some buzz about it in this forum-a true American hero who overcame earlier transgressions.
There's a biography about Lew Jenkins due out late 2018 to be published by Rowman & Littlefield, titled From Boxing Ring to Battlefield: The Life of War Hero Lew Jenkins. Should be November timeframe, maybe we can generate some buzz about it in this forum-a true American hero who overcame earlier transgressions.
Just read Doug Century's book on Barney Ross. In it talks about how Barney despised the movie as it has been greatly perverted from the original concept.
Damn right though he would never say it. Ross won another more personal war with Addiction but just as deadly. He had a helluva life.
