Thomas Ross Ostrom, Col, (Usa Retired)

THOMAS ROSS OSTROM, COL, (USA Retired), age 83, of Bel Air, MD, died on April 7, 2008 at his home. Born in San Francisco, CA, he was the son of the late Brigadier General (Ret.) Charles Douglas Yelverton Ostrom Sr., and the late Margaret Ross Ostrom, and husband of the late Marian McLaughlin Ostrom.

Col. Ostrom received his BS from the University of California (Berkeley) and his MS & PhD from Harvard University. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and in 1945 graduated from Officer Candidate School as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was a career Army officer and saw service in World War II, Korea, and Viet-Nam. His entire 33-year career was devoted to the well-being of the U.S. soldier.

In his early career, Col. Ostrom conducted radiological safety operations during nuclear weapons tests & observed two atmospheric test firings. He studied the health & environmental effects of radiation and developed procedures for treatment & disposal of radioactive wastes. In the mid-'50s, he worked at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland where he was responsible for the conduct of water supply & pollution surveys on military facilities. During the mid-'60s, he was stationed in Germany, improving sanitation services for the United States Army, Europe. He developed the Army Anti-Malarial Drug Program and provided essential support to the ceramic body armor and mobile hospitals programs while assigned to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. During his service in Viet-Nam, he continued to improve troop welfare through more work on improved body armor and an improved M-16 rifle.

Col. Ostrom's final assignments were at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ and Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. He worked on the improved safety and reliability of munitions, on the solution of critical problems related to weapons and munitions development, and on future weapons concepts.

After he retired from the Army in 1975, he worked as an independent consultant on defense projects for the governments of Taiwan and Pakistan.

Col. Ostrom is survived by his daughters, Barbara K. Ostrom of Falls Church, VA and Carolyn P. Ostrom of Arlington, VA; and a brother, Brigadier General (Ret.) Charles D.Y. Ostrom of Fort Belvoir, VA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Army Emergency Relief, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria VA 22332-0600.