His interests included school baseball, football, and he sang in the concert choir.  As a young man he played baseball in the Town PAL, Pony and Little League and was very involved in the Boy Scouts and the Explorers, for which he became the assistant advisor.

Although Ross was very happy-go-lucky he also had a serious side.  He could be described as responsible.  For example, he was a member of a four-piece rock band.  He listened to Bob Dylan and absorbed every word.  He was able to understand the poetry behind Dylan’s music and was able to introduce the other band members to the seriousness of the lyrics.

Even after he was sent to Vietnam he still had a lighthearted attitude towards everything.  He sent letters home talking about the games of football he had organized and won for the men he was stationed with.  It was not until he experienced fighting by the De-militarized Zone that he started to take the war more seriously and looked to the real reasons for fighting the war in Vietnam.

On March 26, 1968 at the age of 18, Ross Applegate was killed in action in South Vietnam, Thua Thien Province in what was believed to be mortar barrage at Camp Davis.  His death shocked all his family and friends back in the US.

Medals that he received while serving were the Bronze Star, Rifle M16, and National Defense Service Medal.  The government of the Republic of Vietnam awarded him the Military Merit Medal, and the Gallantry Cross with Palm.  Ross posthumously received the Purple Heart as well.