Word Celebrity Blog

Ross Andrew McGinnis


Early Life

Ross McGinnis was born on June 14, 1987, in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Thomas and Romayne McGinnis. Although he was born in Meadville he grew up in Knox, about 90 miles north of Pittsburgh, after his family moved there when he was three years old.

When he was in kindergarten, his teacher gave him a paper that at the top said "When I grow up, I want to be __________" and Ross wrote an "Army Man".

He was a 2005 graduate of Keystone Jr./Sr. High School and also attended Clarion County Career Center for automotive technology, where he participated in the student compass and performed as secretary/treasurer for the automotive department.

Ross McGinnis also worked at McDonald’s on Perkins Road, in Clarion, during his high school years. He was a member of the Concert Choir in High School.

Whe he was growing up, he became a member of Boy Scout Pack 56 starting as a Tiger Cub, then Cub Scout, Webelo Scout and Boy Scout. He played YMCA basketball and Soccer, and Little League Baseball with the Knox Association teams.

Although he was  not remembered as a troublemaker, Ross McGinnis was not interested in school, and spent his teen years struggling to eek by.

“He put us through our trials, definitely. From little up, he liked to push the limits,” his mother, Romayne, said. “You never knew what was going to come out of his mouth or out of his actions.”

Ross was born on Flag Day, and was destined to become a soldier, his father said. In kindergarten, he told his teacher that he wanted to be an "Army man." He enlisted on his 17th birthday, the first day he was eligible.

In high school, McGinnis never made the honor roll or played sports. According to teachers, he made his mark, but in ways that were uniquely Ross.

“He stood out, but just by bits and pieces,” said Franki Sheatz, McGinnis’s 9th and 11th-grade French teacher at Keystone High School. “When he stood out, a lot of times it was because of his wit, or because he was trying to get away with something. He never did any more or less than a lot of the other kids I had in class, although he was charming in his little way.”

His parents and teachers agreed that the catalyst that sparked a change in McGinnis was his decision to join the military.

“He came to us and said he wanted join the Army, and we accepted that,” said McGinnis’s father Tom. The way we looked at it was that he had no intention of going to school, and there really aren’t very good jobs for a person that doesn’t have higher education. The Army was an opportunity for him to be able to get the kind of education that he wanted.”

The younger McGinnis had aspirations of one day becoming an automotive technician. The Army, in his eyes, was a means to that end – a place where he could serve his country as an infantryman, but receive an off-duty education that would prepare him for a future career.

Once McGinnis made the decision to join the Army,  that became his focus. “The different conversations I had with Ross sometimes were over academics and encouraging him to do his best and that he had goals in mind,” Vicky Walters, Keystone High’s principal said. “We were encouraging him to complete those goals…He indicated he would do what it took to get the job done.” He would finish high school so he could join the Army.


























His parents shared concerns about their son enlisting during a time of war, but knew if he stayed in Knox, his odds of making something of himself were limited. “He had just as much chance at home of ending up dead as he did in Iraq at that point,” Tom said. “When young men get out of school and they don’t have an education, it’s a dangerous life for them for several years. Something could happen at home as quick as it could over there. I knew that in the Army he was going to have a serious discipline. He was going to be trained, and that would help him stay on the right path.”

Ross McGinnis left his rural Pennsylvania town for basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, within days of graduating from Keystone High School, just before his 18th birthday.




















During the first stage of training, Ross McGinnis’s parents received a phone call from him. “He said the first week was boring, a lot of, ‘Hurry up and wait,’” Romayne said. In his subsequent calls, he conveyed his increasing enthusiasm.

“He really liked the physical part of the training. Ross wasn’t one to push a pencil. He wanted to be actively involved,” she said. “He was really excited about the weapons training. While in Boy Scouts, they went to a shooting range once and he really liked that, so it didn’t surprise me when he said he wanted to go with the gunner position.”





















According to reports from fellow Soldiers, McGinnis’s interest in weapons was crafted into a skill set that would serve him well in his position as an.50-caliber machine gunner.


 Soldier Off To War


























McGinnis finished basic and then infantry training in Georgia and headed home to Knox on leave before reporting to his first assignment in Germany. The changes in him were evident, and shocking to some.


























Pfc. Ross McGinnis, with his mom at Fort Benning, Georgia, 2005


“He looked so much taller. He wasn’t. I think it was the uniform really,” Romayne said. “But it was, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ and, ‘No, ma’am.” And I was like, ‘Who is this kid?’ He had a lot of respect, not that Ross ever disrespected us, but there was definitely that attitude that the Army had bred into him already in that short amount of time.”
























Pfc. Ross McGinnis, with his dad at Fort Benning, Georgia, 2005


Tom echoed his wife’s feelings about the new Soldier. “When he came home on leave and he was around civilians, he felt uneasy because other people seemed to be sloppy and lazy as compared to what it was like in the military. He was definitely different and thought differently after he’d gone through the training. It was surprising, because I don’t know if I ever knew anyone like that before, especially my own son. He had learned and grown quite a bit.”

 His former teachers saw maturity in him that didn’t exist before he became a Soldier. “He has been described as a 100-percent guy or a zero-percent guy,” Erik Sundling, Ross’s 12th-grade English teacher, said when he talked about the effort McGinnis put forth if he was interested in something, and the lack thereof when he wasn’t. “He came back in uniform and he was the 100-percent Ross. He was very proud to wear the uniform.”

























When his family learned that McGinnis’s first assignment would be to a Germany-based infantry regiment scheduled for an Iraq deployment, they worried but wished him well. “I told him, ‘Be safe. Think before you act.’ Any parent would say that to their child, I’m sure. We thought he was coming back,” Romayne said.

Tom McGinnis said his son's passions - other than the Army - were video games and mountain biking. He later became a car enthusiast while taking automotive technology at the Clarion County Career Center.

"He was always outside, going. He couldn't sit still," Tom McGinnis said.

"Ross was 6 feet tall, 136 pounds, and a lefty, and he was a good shot with either hand:
During his infantry training, the left-handed McGinnis qualified as an expert shooting left-handed and as a sharpshooter -- one step below expert -- shooting right-handed,"


A Soldier’s Soldier

Ross McGinnis arrived in Schweinfurt, Germany in November 2005 and reported to 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment with an influx of Soldiers as the company was preparing for its upcoming mission to Iraq. According to retired Staff Sgt. Ian Newland, he immediately became in instrumental part of the team.


















“His personality and humor made him stand out. He was the comedian out of everybody,” Newland, a squad leader with 1st Platoon at the time, said. “You could be having the worst day in the field, or the worst day in the rear “D”, and Ross would come in a room and everybody would be laughing within three minutes.”

“He was very eager to learn,” Captain Baka said. “He was only 18 years old when he arrived at the unit, very young, very eager.”




















Ross was known as the funny guy with an infectious smile from the day he joined the unit, Newland said. “I have this image of him, even today. We were in Germany and he was up on a .50-cal gunning. We had been doing a convoy for probably around eight hours.  I was in the vehicle behind him and he turned around and smiled at my gunner. His teeth were just covered in dirt from being up on the gun, but he’s just still smiling ear to ear. That right there was just him.”

His gifts extended beyond platoon funny man according to his leaders, who said he was also a top-notch Soldier.





















“He was constantly motivating and positive all the time, and that really helped the platoon out a lot. He was key in our platoon because of that,” Newland said. “Right after we lost Sgt. Sizemore, we were all really shocked – it really hit home. And then Sgt. Mock – we were getting pretty depressed. But Ross, he knew how to take our attention off of that – all of us – from senior leaders to your private Joe. He knew how to respond.”



That Fateful Day

On the morning of Dec. 4, Captain Michael Baka signed a waiver that would allow him to promote McGinnis to specialist. The young soldier died later that day, and was posthumously promoted to E-4.





















As they rolled out of Apache’s gates, the men in the six-vehicle patrol felt up to their mission, despite ever-present dangers, as they did each time they patrolled Adamiyah’s streets, Baka said. “We had only just left the gate. We were moving deliberately down the streets, and had just taken a left-hand turn on a main road just south of Abu Hanifah mosque.”

The mission was to patrol the streets of Adhamiyah in northeast Baghdad and find a place to put a 250-kilowatt generator that would provide electricity for more than 100 homes.





















Captain Baka’s was the fourth vehicle in the order of movement. The platoon sergeant’s vehicle was the last, as is typical for a standard patrol, and Ross McGinnis manned its machine gun.

According to official statements from Sgt. Lyle Buehler (the driver), Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas (platoon sergeant and truck commander), Spc. Sean Lawson (medic) and Newland, Eoss McGinnis sat in the gunner strap, .50-cal at the ready, facing backward to ensure rear security. Buehler and Thomas rode in the front of the vehicle, and Newland and Lawson in the back.

Shortly after they left their compound, the soldiers of 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, turned off a major roadway and onto a side street.

The street was lined on both sides with parked cars and two-story buildings.

As the convoy was stopped on the street, less than a mile from FOB Apache, an insurgent standing on a nearby rooftop threw a grenade into the sixth, and last, Humvee.

Ross McGinnis shouted, "GRENADE!  IT'S IN THE TRUCK!"





















According to official accounts by survivors, McGinnis stood up and was preparing to jump out of the vehicle. “That is what the machine gunner is supposed to do,” Baka said. “He’s supposed to announce the grenade, give a fair amount of time for people in the vehicle to react, and then he’s supposed to save himself. No one would have blamed him if he did that, because that is what he was trained to do.”

The nineteen year old Private First Class Ross McGinnis had a choice to make - get the hell out of the truck through the hatch or...

Ross McGinnis saw the grenade sitting on the radio mount behind him and realized the others weren’t aware of its location. They were combat-locked in the Humvee and would not have time to escape. As he gave his response, he pushed the gunner strap out from under him and laid his back on top of the grenade. It detonated, killing him instantly.

SFC Cedric Thomas: "I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down."

Ross McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped. "He had time to jump out of the truck," Sgt. Thomas said. "He chose not to."

Sgt. Thomas remembered Ross McGinnis talking about how he would respond in such a situation. "McGinnis said then he didn't know how he would act, but when the time came, he delivered."

"He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant," Thomas said. "He's a hero. He's a professional. He was just an awesome guy."

Three of the Soldiers with McGinnis who were wounded that day have returned to duty, while a fourth is recovering in Germany.

It’s not unusual for insurgents to throw grenades at his soldiers as they drive by, but the explosives typically land outside the up-armored vehicles, Captain Baka said.

When the grenade exploded inside Ross McGinnis’ vehicle, Captain Baka said he knew right then what it was. “This blast was very loud, and immediately following, there was gunfire,”

Captain Baka instantly ordered his driver to turn the Humvee around. “I saw two soldiers walking to another vehicle, wounded,” he said. “I knew right away a grenade made it into the gunner’s hatch.”

"Thanks to the warnings McGinnis yelled down to his fellow soldiers, everyone in the truck had time to tuck their heads down and protect themselves", Captain Baka said.

The explosion knocked Sgt. Thomas, 30, unconscious for about five seconds. When he came to, with minor lacerations on his left shoulder and neck and a large contusion on his back, he saw a man on a nearby rooftop.

“I presumed he threw the grenade because of the way he was leaning over the side of the building to see the damage he had done,” Thomas said. “I started to engage him. I don’t know if I wounded him or killed him. He disappeared.”

Sgt. Lyle Buehler, the driver, was hit on the right side of his head by a piece of shrapnel. He also had shrapnel in his back and leg. Sgt. Ian Newland, who was sitting behind Buehler, suffered some tendon damage when shrapnel pierced his left forearm. He also had shrapnel wounds on all his limbs.

Pfc. Sean Lawson, the platoon medic, who was sitting behind Sgt. Thomas, suffered a perforated left ear drum and a mild concussion. Amazingly, Private Lawson didn’t suffer any shrapnel injuries, and was able to provide medical aid to Buehler and Newland, Thomas said.

In the meantime, the other soldiers in the convoy gathered around the damaged Humvee to provide security.

Sgt. Patrick Cramer, one of the dismount team leaders, got into Sgt. Thomas’ vehicle and drove it back to the base, the vehicle’s doors swinging open.

Sergeant Thomas said he didn’t know that Ross McGinnis was dead. “I saw him still sitting there,” Sergeant Thomas said. “I thought he was unconscious. I wasn’t thinking that the blast had killed him. He had his back to me so I couldn’t see anything.”

As Cramer drove, Sergeant Thomas tried to talk to McGinnis from the front seat.

“I couldn’t turn around, so I patted him on his back vest plate,” Thomas said. “I was screaming at him, ‘McGinnis, wake up! Wake up! Are you OK?’ The medic said, ‘Sergeant T, he didn’t make it.’ ”

It was only when the soldiers arrived at FOB Apache that Captain Baka learned the blast had killed Ross McGinnis.

Newland was the only soldier in the Humvee who needed to be medically evacuated. He was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Newland has since been discharged from the hospital, Captain Baka said. He walks with a cane and his left arm is in a sling, but during a memorial service in Germany for McGinnis, Newland walked up to the podium without his cane and solemnly saluted a memorial to his friend.

The soldiers are very shaken up by the incident, Captain Baka said. “But they’re all alive because of Specialist McGinnis,”

Sergeant Thomas, who went back on patrol three days after the incident, said he still can’t believe Ross McGinnis is gone.

“It’s tough. You deal with it the best you can,” he said. “Your guys need you, your soldiers need you, and you just kind of bounce back from it, but it’s something you’ll never forget no matter how old you get. He’s a hero to me, and I will never forget him, ever. He honestly saved my life. I think some people use ‘saved my life’ out of context, but he really saved four people’s lives.”

Within 24 hours of McGinnis’s sacrifice, Captain Baka gathered statements from the survivors and wrote the recommendation for his Medal of Honor. He received the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor, as an interim award.


Magnitude Of His Sacrifice

“The first time it became full magnitude for me was when we were loading his body onto the helicopter for the hero flight – that’s standard,” Baka said. The unit held a small, informal ceremony and Baka led them in a prayer, as there was no chaplain at the combat outpost. As the helicopter flew away, they saluted the young man who laid down his life so the men he loved and served with could live.

“We have hero flights for every Soldier, and every Soldier that gives his life’s a hero. But McGinnis, in my mind, is the definition of hero,” Captain Baka said. “From this day forward if anyone ever asks me to define the word hero, I would simply tell them the story of Spc. Ross McGinnis and the actions he took that day to save four of his brothers.”


Remembering Ross McGinnis





















For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, Ross McGinnis earned the Silver Star, and the Medal of Honor, posthumously. His unit paid their final respects in a somber ceremony in Irag, December 11, 2006.

For his brothers in arms, the best way to remember McGinnis is to tell the story of what he did for them Dec. 4, 2006, and to live their lives every day with purpose and meaning.

“I think for me to thank him, is to do everything I can to live my life to the fullest,” Newland said. “Because if he can have courage like that, if he can give up his 19-year-old life, then I can live the rest of my life, however long it is, to every day’s fullest.”

Ross McGinnis’ fellow soldiers had a memorial service for him, in Baghdad.

“Memorial services are extremely tough for all of us, but I think they’re necessary for us to do for the closure,” Captain Michael Baka said. “I think many of the soldiers here are honoring McGinnis by doing their job and doing the best they can. It’s tough to swallow, but they’re taking it very well.”


























The soldiers remembered their friend as a funny guy with a sharp sense of humor, a photography buff and a caring and attentive listener.

“It could be the worst day on earth, and this guy would always find a bright side to whatever we had to do,” Thomas said. “To me, that’s what made him so special.”

Captain Michael Baka said he has been in contact with Tom McGinnis. “He’s very proud of him. One thing he told me, he said he wished his son wasn’t so brave,” Baka said. “I told him I wish the same thing, but at the same time... I think it makes it easier for the other soldiers, knowing he did it willingly and he did it to save the lives of other soldiers.”


Home In Pennsylvania


























U.S. Congressman John Peterson (R-5th) said in a statement Friday "It is with deep gratitude and sorrow that I recognize the selfless act Ross McGinnis performed on December 4, 2006."

"This young man, just 19 years old, was a soldier's soldier who enlisted in the Army to fight for causes larger than any individual - freedom and liberty. Ross gave his life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers - an act nothing short of heroic," Congressman Peterson's statement said.


Services At Knox Pennsylvania

"This courageous act not only defined Specialist McGinnis as a soldier but it is also a testament to his rural Pennsylvania upbringing where love for country runs deep," said Peterson. "Born and raised in the small Clarion County town of Knox, Ross was a high-spirited son, brother and friend to many. He had a contagious sense of humor and a trademark smile that lit up every room he entered."

"Specialist McGinnis is now etched into American history where he will always be remembered for his strong sense of duty to serve his country and his unmatched selflessness," said Peterson.




















The flag-draped casket of Keystone High School graduate Ross McGinnis is carried past several American flags and past and present servicemen and women Sunday afternoon outside St. Paul Lutheran Church in Knox.  Interment will be at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

"He cared deeply about his family, his community and the nation," U.S. Army Major General David H. Huntoon Jr. said at a memorial service Sunday outside of Knox, Clarion County. "We mourn his loss and we honor his heroic service. He gave his life for his fellow soldiers and for his country."

"There is no greater love than one who had laid down his life for another," said the Rev. Debbie Jacobson, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in Emlenton.

Ross McGinnis, the son of Thomas and Romayne, did not serve and die for honors, but "in an attempt to shield his "beloved brothers" so they may live, she said.

Pastor Jacobson led the service, entitled "A Celebration of Life and Resurrection For Ross A. McGinnis."

It was estimated that more than 200 members of the community attended the service at St. Paul's Lutheran Church with a large group filling the basement and participating in the ceremony while watching from a TV monitor.

There were also dozens of military service men and women and members of area veterans groups in attendance as well as a strong showing of the Patriot Guard Riders - a motorcycle-riding veterans organization.

Local funeral director David McEntire organized the service, which included broadcasts by speaker outside the facility.

School and shuttle buses were used to transport individuals through the countryside from parking areas a couple miles away at the Interstate 80 exit.

It represented one of the largest community showings for a military memorial service in the region, according to Jack Gordon, chief of information/public affairs for the 99th Regional Readiness Command, U.S. Army reserve headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Bells tolled as the gray hearse solemnly arrived outside the church where veterans and military personnel stood, American flags flapping in the wind.

Bagpipes played as the soldier's coffin was slowly carried into the building.

A company colonel was quoted as saying "Ross McGinnis demonstrated the most selfless act of any man he's ever known".

"He chose this path because he was a good man and an honorable man," said Huntoon. "His generosity of spirit shines bright. We salute his honor and inspiration and we remember his brilliant example of selfless service. He will not be forgotten by his country or by the U.S. Army."

Ross McGinnis was the first Clarion County resident killed in the Iraq war, though other service members have been brought to the area for burial.

Area legislators attending the ceremony included U.S. Congressman John Peterson, state Sen. Mary Jo White, state Rep. Fred McIlhattan, Clarion County commissioners Dave Cyphert, Donna Hartle and Donna Oberlander and others.

The Pennsylvania State police, thr Clarion County sheriff's deputies and others provided additional services.

Family friend Deb Keister said her 18-year-old son, Jaycob, had been in Boy Scouts with Rpss McGinnis. "It's a great honor he was a member of our community," she said. The ceremony "was a great tribute to Ross and he deserves that."

Classmates are compiling material to include in a keepsake book for his family.

"They're all going to miss him," Keister said.

Kayla Rhoades and Heidi Snyder, both graduates of 2005, were among those in attendance. "He made an impact on everyone's lives around here," Rhoades said. Both were touched by the community support shown at the service. "It's amazing how many people were here," Heidi  Snyder said.

McIlhattan, a Knox resident, had also requested that all Pennsylvania flags under Gov. Ed Rendell's office be flown at half-staff on Sunday in recognition of McGinnis' sacrifice.

Ross McGinnis, whose promotion to specialist became effective at the time of his death, would be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia at a later date.




Presentation Of Medal Of Honor

President George W. Bush Presents Posthumous Medal of Honor To Soldier Killed In Iraq


















A ceremony was held in the east room of the White House on June 2, 2008, to honor Ross Andrew McGinniss, in which the medal was presented to hid parents Thomas and Romayne McGinnis  by President George W. Bush. In addition to his family and the President and many other notable people attended the ceremony, including the Vice President, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake, Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne, General Jim "Hoss" Cartwright, and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Several members of congress also attended as did members of McGinnis' unit from Iraq, including the other soldiers from the vehicle he sacrificed his life to save.
















President George W. Bush posthumously presented their son U.S. Army Spc. Ross Andrew McGinnis with the medal during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House, June 2, 2008 in Washington DC. Spc. McGinnis, 19 from Knox, Pennsylvania was killed Dec. 4, 2006 when an insurgent threw a grenade inside his truck and he jumoed on it to save four fellow soldiers





















Thomas and Romayne McGinnis hold the Medal of Honor while standing in front of four soldiers, (L-R) U.S. Army SSG Ian Newland, U.S. Army Sgt. Lyle Buehler, U.S. Army SFC Cedric Thomas and U.S. Army SPC Sean Lawson, who were saved by their sons actions.



































Four lives that were spared.L/R, retired Staff Sgt. Ian Newland, Sgt. Lyle Buehler, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas and Spc. Sean Lawson are alive today because of Spc. Ross McGinnis's ssacrifice.




Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.

Top Defense Department and Army leaders honored Ross McGinnis by inducting him into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.



















“Long before that day in Adhamiyah, Ross proved his courage on his 17th birthday when he joined the Army,” Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody said during the 45-minute ceremony at the Pentagon.

As McGinnis matured as a soldier and as his unit, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, prepared for duty in Iraq, the soldiers built “the kind of trust that turns strangers into brothers,” Cody said. “The crucible of combat only strengthened that trust,”

When the grenade fell into the turret and into the Humvee, “all that duty required was that Ross warn the crew and attempt to escape to safety,” Cody said. “But love for his brothers required more.”

The four men who were in the Humvee with McGinnis — Sgt. 1st Class Cedric D. Thomas, now-retired Staff Sgt. Ian Newland, Sgt. Lyle Buehler and Spc. Sean Lawson — attended all three ceremonies that week.

“Ross gave these four men a gift, and that’s what it was,” said Tom McGinnis, the soldier’s father, during his remarks to the audience on Tuesday. “It can not be carried as a debt. A debt is something you can repay. A gift is something you enjoy. So live your lives, enjoy your lives, because it was a gift. Ross is the reason we’re here, and the reason Ross is not here is because his Army buddies were more important than life itself.”

Tom McGinnis added that he and his family appreciate all the support they have received.

“But I feel there is someone out there more important than [my wife] Romayne and I, and that is the troops who are still active,” he said. “It’s important that we show them our appreciation … so that they are reminded that they are appreciated and will be welcomed when they come home.”



















Medal Of Honor Official Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, June 2, 2008, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to
Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis
United States Army

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December 2006.

That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast. Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.

Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.





















Silver Star Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gunner in 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah (Northeast Baghdad), Iraq on the afternoon of 4 December 2006. PFC Ross McGinnis' platoon was conducting a combat patrol to deny the enemy freedom of movement in Adhamiyah and reduce the high-level of sectarian violence in the form of kidnappings, weapons smuggling, and murders. 1st Platoon's combat patrol moved deliberately along a major route north towards the Abu Hanifa mosque, passing an IED hole from a recent detonation on a Military Police patrol that very morning. The combat patrol made a left turn onto a side street southwest of the Abu Hanifa Mosque. There were two-story buildings and parked vehicles on either side of the road. PFC McGinnis was manning the M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun on the Platoon Sergeant's M1151 Up-armored HMMWV. His primary responsibility was to protect the rear of the combat patrol from enemy attacks. Moments after PFC McGinnis' vehicle made the turn traveling southwest a fragmentation grenade was thrown at his HMMWV by an unidentified insurgent from an adjacent rooftop. He immediately yelled "grenade" on the vehicle's intercom system to alert the four other members of his crew. PFC McGinnis made an attempt to personally deflect the grenade, but was unable to prevent it from falling through the gunner's hatch. His Platoon Sergeant, the truck commander, was unaware that the grenade physically entered the vehicle and shouted "where?" to PFC McGinnis. When an average man would have leapt out of the gunner's cupola to safety, PFC McGinnis decided to stay with his crew. Unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life he announced "the grenade is in the truck" and threw his back over the grenade to pin it between his body and the truck's radio mount. When the grenade detonated, PFC McGinnis absorbed all lethal fragments and the concussion with his own body killing him instantly. His early warning allowed all four members of his crew to position their bodies in a protective posture to prepare for the grenade's blast. As a result of his quick reflexes and heroic measures, no other members of the vehicle crew were seriously wounded in the attack. His gallant action and total disregard for his personal well-being directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. PFC McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the keeping of the highest traditions of military service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

Citation To Accompany The Award Of A Silver Star To Private First Class Ross McGinnis

FOR GALLANTRY IN ACTION ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY WHILE SERVING AS AN M2 MACHINE GUNNER DURING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. ON 4 DECEMBER 2006, AN ENEMY HAND GRENADE WAS THROWN INTO HIS VEHICLE. PRIVATE FIRST CLASS MCGINNIS THREW HIMSELF ON THE HAND GRENADE, ABSORBING THE EXPLOSION WITH HIS BODY AND SAVING FOUR OF HIS COMRADES FROM SERIOUS INJURIES OR POSSIBLE DEATH.

HIS ACTIONS REFLECT DISTINCT CREDIT ON H IM, THE MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION-BAGHDAD, AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY.


















Honors and Awards
In addition to the Medal of Honor he also received a posthumous promotion to specialist as well as the Silver Star, Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

A U.S. Army multi-purpose machine gun range in Fort Benning, Georgia, was named after McGinnis.

The VFW Post 2145 in Clarion was renamed this year in his honor, and Knox residents created a memorial bench at the high school.

A memorial scholarship has been established in his name through Keystone SMILES, and a Florida teen-ager Destany Hotard was inspired to record a ballad for him.



Arlington National Cemetery

Spc. Ross McGinnis was laid to rest March 23 at Arlington National Cemetery in a traditional military ceremony, one befitting a young man who gave his life to save those of his fellow soldiers. His grave can be found in section 60, site 8544.

The graveside services took place at 11 a.m. under a cloudless, early spring sky.

Ross McGinnis’ parents, Tom and Romayne McGinnis, were among two busloads of mourners who traveled all night from the fallen soldier’s hometown of Knox, Pennsylvaniaa.

 They were accompanied on the journey by others traveling in cars and at least 60 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that escorted the caravan.

As the buses, cars and motorcycles streamed into the cemetery, members of the Army Honor Guard snapped to attention.


















At the gravesite, an urn containing McGinnis’ ashes was placed on a green podium as the soldier’s parents and others took their seats for the 20-minute service.






















The military funeral rites took place around them with characteristic efficiency, and the crowd watched with customary solemnity. But the chaplain's eulogy was fiery. He spoke passionately of the young man's heroic deeds, gesturing dramatically and stomping his feet.

 Ross McGinnis’ heroism led to “his name being written in history,” said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Michael Bearfield.


















From a distance a military bugler sounded taps at the end of the service.


Three of the soldiers who were in the Humvee with McGinnis attended the service.

One traveled from Germany; the other two were allowed to leave Iraq to be there. They were to return to the war zone shortly after paying their final respects.


















Two of Ross McGinnis' "brother soldiers" give a final salute as his parents are saying their goodbye.





 Army SSG Ian Newland,, who se injuries still troubled him, gives Ross a farewell salute;;;;;;;




















He kneels and hugs the tombstone as he weeps for his friend.


 It was the last of three ceremonies to honor Ross McGinnis.

On Monday, President Bush presented Tom and Romayne McGinnis with the Medal of Honor at the White House.

The next day, top Defense Department and Army leaders honored Ross McGinnis by inducting him into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.







Ross McGinnis is the second soldier to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The families of men who gave their lives also struggle with emotional crosscurrents.

Tom McGinnis felt a surge of different emotions over losing his only son: the overpowering grief, pride over the Medal of Honor nomination and wariness about the heroism hoopla. He knew Ross could have rolled out of the gunner's turret and escaped the blast; he felt guilty for nearly wishing his son had done just that.

McGinnis also understood the potential for survivor's guilt when he buried his son at Arlington National Cemetery early this year. After the ceremony, the elder McGinnis met Newland and two other soldiers saved by his son's heroism, and he consoled them.

"I tried to emphasize to them that they can't continue living thinking they're indebted to Ross for what he did," the father says. "They can't go on for the rest of their lives thinking, 'I'm here because of Ross.' I wouldn't think Ross would want them to fill that way.

"Things just happen."























“It’s been good, because people want to keep his memory alive, and people do things to show you that it really meant a lot to them,” Tom said. “But at the same time, it doesn’t give us a chance to just drop it for a while…it keeps that wound fresh. It’s painful, but eventually once everything dies down, then I think that the healing process will start.”

“I never pictured what a Medal of Honor winner is supposed to look like, but I guess I would think of somebody like a John Wayne character in the movies, where the guy is macho and tough and fear is nothing,” Tom said. “But of course, that’s not anywhere close to what my son, Ross, was like. Although he had very little fear in him, he wasn’t a tough, macho type of person. He was just like you and me.”

Tom McGinnis says he would never want a book or a movie devoted to Ross. He does not want his son depicted as larger-than-life. The father says his son loved rebuilding car engines, worked at McDonald's and had a gift for making people laugh. But he was a disinterested student and barely graduated from high school.

"He wasn't exceptional. He was just like you and me," Tom McGinnis says.

"He just made a split-second decision (to fall on the grenade). He did what he thought was right. That doesn't make him extraordinary. He just did an extraordinary thing."



















President Barack Obama leaves a presidential coin at the gravesite of Ross McGinnis at Arlington Cemetery.