Privileges of War

Thomas A. (Tom) Ross, was raised in Pensacola, Florida where he lived with his family and attended college until enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1966. After commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant, Tom applied to and was accepted by the U.S. Army Special Forces, the elite unit also known as the "Green Berets." When our country's involvement in Southeast Asia was escalating, Tom volunteered for service in Vietnam. After more than a year of unconventional warfare training, Tom was sent to South Vietnam as a military adviser. He arrived "in-country" during the infamous 1968 Tet Offensive. He was immediately assigned a combat position as the Operations and Intelligence Officer of Detachment A-502. These positions provided Tom a unique vantage point from which to observe both men and women as they coped with their wartime assignments. Upon returning home to the United States, Tom was shocked when learning that American civilians were spitting on the uniforms of other returning soldiers while hurling hateful epithets at them. In response, he immediately began writing "Privileges of War", a book that tells good stories of the selfless and courageous deeds that he witnessed in Vietnam. After earning the rank of Major during military service, Tom took on less aggressive and more refined, more sophisticated roles. For several years, he served as the vice-president of his family's custom-design jewelry firm in Pensacola, very different from his military exploits. Then with years of experience, Tom sought larger arenas in which to work. With his family's blessing, he found those arenas and served as an executive with two world-renowned international jewelry companies-not something you typically expect of a former Green Beret. As a result of his life experiences, Tom has been invited to be a guest on CNN, CNBC, NBC, and ABC television. He has also been a guest on various "talk" radio stations across the country. Today, Tom is the President and CEO of his own successful custom-design jewelry firm, The Ross Jewelry Company, in Atlanta, Georgia.