Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Robert “Bob” Ross.

Bob was born and raised in Florida. He enlisted in the Air Force when he was 18-years-old and then stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.

In a 1990 interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Bob explained that he was “the guy who makes you scrub the latrine.”

Bob took an art class at the Anchorage U.S.O. club and began painting the Alaskan landscape that influenced many of his pieces on his future TV show.

After 20 years of service, Bob left the Air Force and began hosting the popular series “The Joy of Painting,” where he provided instruction on painting landscapes.

Bob died of lymphoma in 1995.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service..

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much of the information as you can put together with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating for how to create the best submission.

Correction: VA News removed an image from the graphic previously believed to be Ross in an Air Force uniform.

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8 Comments

  1. Richard July 21, 2016 at 02:00

    EVERY time I’d flip through the channels and Bob’s show came on, I couldn’t change the channel.
    His technique was riveting. He made it look so EASY to paint.
    Many thanks, Bob, for thousands of “Happy Trees”!”

  2. James A. Lindgaard July 15, 2016 at 17:42

    It would have been nice to “share” this, Honoring Bob Ross on facebook.

    • Timothy Lawson July 18, 2016 at 12:10

      Hey James, we share all of our #VeteranOfTheDay posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  3. DAVID REITTER July 15, 2016 at 16:28

    4or my peers, living & dead, who fought in battle for what they believed , never ever
    thought enough was enough !

    Mr. Ross was really cool ! He loved those landscapes !

  4. Maxine Cavanaugh July 15, 2016 at 15:57

    Bob Ross’s photo looked familiar so I started reading about him. I have enjoyed his painting lessons for years. It was a real shock to read that he died several years ago. I have a couple of veterans I would like to nominate for Veteran of the Day. Can you provide more info on how to do that? Thanks,

  5. Eddie Jensen July 15, 2016 at 14:57

    Hi,
    I’m the founder of Freedom Adaptive Systems a small company dedicated to helping America’s disabled veterans. We have designed and make fishing rod holders that change lives. My service in Vietnam let me without the use of my right arm. In order to go fishing I created a rod holder. It worked so well that I decided to make it available to others. In October last year, NBC Seattle (King 5 NEWS) created a story about what I was doing to help other veterans, the story aired in October 15. Please look at my company’s face book page, ( Freedom Adaptive Systems).

    Thank you.
    Eddie Jensen

  6. Bob Russo Sr July 15, 2016 at 14:02

    I really enjoyed his show and was sorry to see him pass

  7. Bob Russo Sr July 15, 2016 at 14:02

    I really enjoyed him and was sorry to see him pass

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