Ross Terry was born on February 1, 1936, in Sugar Land, Texas. After attending the University of Houston for two years, he joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Navy on June 6, 1956, and was commissioned an Ensign and designated a Naval Flight Officer at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 28, 1958. His next assignment was aboard EC-121K Airborne Early Warning aircraft with Airborne Early Warning Barrier Squadron Pacific and AEW Squadron Twelve (VW-12) at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, from April 1958 to September 1960. He attended F-4 Phantom II Fleet Replacement training with Fighter Squadron One Twenty One (VF-121) at NAS Miramar, California, from September 1960 to June 1961, followed by service as an F-4B Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) with VF-114 at NAS Miramar from June 1961 to October 1963. LT Terry served as an instructor RIO with VF-121 at NAS Miramar from October 1963 to March 1966, and then as an F-4J RIO with VF-154 at NAS Moffett Field, California, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) from March 1966 until he was forced to eject from his stricken aircraft over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on October 9, 1966. After spending 2,339 days in captivity, CDR Terry was released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Naval Hospital Memphis in Millington, Tennessee, and then attended Naval War College at Newport, Rhode, Island. He served with Training Air Wing SIX at NAS Pensacola, Florida, and then served as Commanding Officer of Training Squadron TEN (VT-10) at NAS Pensacola. His next assignment was as Operations Officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (AVT-16) from August 1977 to August 1979, followed by CNO Senior Officers CRS in Idaho Fallas, Idaho, from August 1979 to September 1980. Capt Terry's final assignment was as Commanding Officer of the combat stores ship USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3) from July 1981 to January 1983. He retired from the Navy at NAS Pensacola, Florida, on November 1, 1983. Ross Terry died on April 24, 2024, and was buried at Barrancas National Cemetery on NAS Pensacola, Florida.

His Silver Star Citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. On 2 June 1969, his captors, completely ignoring international agreements, subjected him to extreme mental and physical cruelties in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes. Through his resistance to those brutalities, he contributed significantly toward the eventual abandonment of harsh treatment by the North Vietnamese, which was attracting international attention. By his determination, courage, resourcefulness, and devotion to duty, he reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service and the United States Armed Forces.