The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to Air Controlman Second Class Earl A. Ross, United States Navy, for heroic conduct on 29 December 1963 while serving with the Shore Patrol, NAS, Downtown Division, Jacksonville, Florida. When a disastrous fire engulfed a hotel in Jacksonville, during the early morning hours, Air Controlman Second Class Ross, an off-duty shore patrolman residing in the hotel, immediately evacuated the building and assisted firemen in unrolling fire hoses and in donning oxygen masks. He then re-entered the blazing structure and made numerous trips through the smoke-filled hallways, assisting people to the nearest exits. Obtaining a master key, he checked many of the rooms in an attempt to find other victims unable to make their way to safety.