He Died To Save His Comrades

He Died To Save His Comrades


By BRAD KELLY | Posted Monday, August 11, 2008 4:30 PM PT

Congress created the U.S. Army on June 14, 1784, and exactly 203 years later, Ross McGinnis was born.

As a kindergartner, Ross was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up.

He gave one answer: a soldier.

And what a GI he turned out to be.

On June 2 — two weeks before he would have turned 21 — McGinnis was given the Medal of Honor, America's highest award for valor.

McGinnis reached Iraq in 2006, when as an Army gunner he helped sweep terrorists out of Adamiyah, near Baghdad.
Unfortunately, he was the 620th recipient to have it bestowed posthumously. Of the 3,448 people honored since President Lincoln signed off on the medal in 1862, McGinnis was only the seventh to receive it since the Vietnam War.

McGinnis displayed his heroism in the Iraq War — especially in December 2006. The private first class was part of motorized patrol in a northeast enclave of Baghdad. From his vantage in the gun turret, he spotted a grenade sailing at his Humvee.

The hand-held bomb flew past McGinnis, through the turret and into the vehicle, landing on the radio controls. He yelled out a warning to the four other soldiers riding inside, but they didn't have time to escape. He decided saving four lives was better than sparing one.

Sacrifice

Without hesitation, the 19-year-old smothered the live grenade with his body and absorbed the explosion, which killed him.

"He had time to jump out of the truck, which is protocol, but chose not to. He's a hero," said Maj. Michael Baka, who was two vehicles ahead of McGinnis in the patrol.

At the Medal of Honor ceremony, President Bush said: "His gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. America will always honor the name of this brave soldier who gave all for his country."

The president spoke at the White House alongside McGinnis' parents, Tom and Romayne, and the hero's two sisters. Joining them were the four saved soldiers.

They saw Ross as a regular guy, a dependable friend with a big heart and a carefree spirit. They remembered that every time he left a room, he left everybody in it laughing.

"Ross did not become our hero by dying," wrote Tom and Romayne McGinnis in a statement. "He was a hero long before he died, because he was willing to risk his life to protect the ideals of freedom and justice that America represents."

Ross was born on June 14, 1987, in Meadville, Pa., and moved to Knox, north of Pittsburgh, when he was 3. He was an active kid, playing basketball, soccer and baseball as well as getting involved in the Boy Scouts.

McGinnis was never an honor roll student in high school, but he made his marks. He hoped to become a car technician.

In his eyes, joining the Army was a means to that end. In the service, he could serve his country, plus receive an education that would lead him to the car business.

McGinnis fulfilled his childhood dream by joining the Army when he was 17. After training at Fort Benning, Ga., McGinnis was assigned to the 1st Battalion, Charlie Company, 26th Infantry Regiment, in Schweinfurt, Germany. The outfit shipped out to Iraq in August 2006.

Col. Eric Schacht, the regiment's task force commander, says that of his 900 soldiers, McGinnis starred.

"He was always smiling, he had a positive attitude, he greeted leaders of the platoon with a sense of pride and urgency, and to top it all off he was born on the exact day the U.S. Army was created," Schacht told IBD. "He was born to be a soldier."

McGinnis excelled in weaponry, marksmanship and physical training. That prowess earned him a quick promotion from private to specialist. Maj. Baka inked the papers two hours before McGinnis died.

"I had four platoons, roughly 190 soldiers in my command," Baka said. "There were certain guys that would stand, out and McGinnis was definitely one of those men."

McGinnis was a surgeon with the M2 .50-caliber machine gun and was handpicked to serve as the gunner in the platoon sergeant's Humvee while out on patrol.

The patrol's mission outside of Baghdad was to secure Adamiyah, six square miles of violence.

"The area lacked a U.S. presence for eight months, and insurgent attacks, sniper fire, grenade contact and IEDs were all part of daily life in Adamiyah," Baka said.

The Americans took on the problem with daily motorized patrols through the quadrant's narrow streets. The Humvees became the terrorists' favorite targets.

On Dec. 4, McGinnis' six-vehicle platoon hit the Adamiyah road to restrict enemy movement. He had the team's back, manning the big gun on the last Humvee.

A terrorist on a nearby rooftop threw a grenade at McGinnis' vehicle. He tried to deflect the weapon, but missed it as it fell into the hatch.

He quickly yelled out, "Grenade!"

According to survivor accounts, McGinnis stood up and was preparing to jump out of the Humvee. But for the first time in his Army career, he did not follow protocol. "That is what the machine gunner is supposed to do," Baka said. "He's supposed to announce 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."

McGinnis knew that his brethren were unaware of the grenade's location and that they were in a combat-locked Humvee, which made escaping in enough time impossible.

In a split second, McGinnis had to process the threat and act. He pushed the gunner strap out from under him and laid his back right on top of the live grenade.

Baka recalls hearing an explosion, which at first he thought was right outside his own vehicle. Then the major got the news that the patrol's last vehicle was hit, and hit badly.

All four of the Humvee's doors had been blown off. Seeing the damage, Baka thought the platoon suffered a large number of casualties. On closer inspection, the company had lost just one brave soul.

As for the mission, it led to fewer terrorists and a safer Adamiyah.

'He Gave Me A Life'

Staff Sgt. Ian Newland was riding in McGinnis' vehicle.

"By all means I should have died that day. He gave me a life that he can't have now," Newland recalled in an interview. "The things people might take for granted, I'm able to appreciate and have these things all over again, every day, every hour, because of what Ross did."

Within 24 hours, Baka wrote up the recommendation for McGinnis' Medal of Honor. The hero was also awarded a Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and other honors.

The Medal of Honor goes to the bravest of the brave — a perfect characterization of Ross McGinnis.

"He sacrificed his life for his four brothers," Baka said. "In my mind, McGinnis is the definition of hero."



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