Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Ralph Jenkins.

Ralph served in the Navy from 1943 to 1945. He was assigned to USS Knox, which was responsible for deploying Marines and other personnel during campaigns in the Pacific during World War II.

During the battle of Iwo Jima he was tasked with going ashore after the Marines to retrieve causalities and bodies on the beach.

After WWII, Ralph re-enlisted in 1951 and was stationed at Naval Air Station Floyd Bennett Field, New York. He served his second enlistment until 1953.

Ralph’s family has a long line of service, dating back to the Civil and Revolutionary Wars and as current as the recent generation of conflicts.

Ralph passed away in 1999. He was 75.

We honor Ralph’s 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.

Topics in this story

Leave a comment

The comments section is for opinions and feedback on this particular article; this is not a customer support channel. If you are looking for assistance, please visit Ask VA or call 1-800-698-2411. Please, never put personally identifiable information (SSAN, address, phone number, etc.) or protected health information into the form — it will be deleted for your protection.

More Stories