Spc. Ross A. McGinnis
Medal of Honor recipient
Posted on 06/02/2008 9:01:59 AM PDT by jazusamo
9:50 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Welcome to the White House.
A week ago on Memorial Day, the flag of the United States flew in half-staff in tribute to those who fell in service to our country. Today we pay special homage to one of those heroes: Private First Class Ross Andrew McGinnis of the U.S. Army. Private McGinnis died in a combat zone in Iraq on December the 4th, 2006 -- and for his heroism that day, he now receives the Medal of Honor.
In a few moments, the military aide will read the citation, and the Medal will be accepted by Ross's mom and dad, Romayne and Tom. It's a privilege to have with us as well Becky and Katie, Ross's sisters.
I also want to thank the other distinguished guests who have joined us: Mr. Vice President; Secretary Jim Peake of Veterans Affairs; Secretary Pete Geren of the Army; Secretary Michael Wynne of the Air Force; General Jim "Hoss" Cartwright, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. I appreciate other members of the administration for joining us.
I want to thank members of the United States Congress who have joined us today: Steve Buyer, John Peterson, Louie Gohmert. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate the Chaplain for the prayer. We welcome friends and family members of Ross, as well as members of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, including Charlie Company, that's with us today.
We're also joined by Private McGinnis's vehicle crew -- the very men who witnessed his incredible bravery. We welcome Sergeant First Class Cedric Thomas, Staff Sergeant Ian Newland, Sergeant Lyle Buehler, and Specialist Sean Lawson.
A special welcome to the prior recipients of the Medal of Honor, whose presence here is -- means a lot to the McGinnis family. Thank you for coming.
The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military distinction. It's given for valor beyond anything that duty could require, or a superior could command. By long tradition, it's presented by the President. For any President, doing so is a high privilege.
Before he entered our country's history, Ross McGinnis came of age in the town of Knox, Pennsylvania. Back home they remember a slender boy with a big heart and a carefree spirit. He was a regular guy. He loved playing basketball. He loved working on cars. He wasn't too wild about schoolwork. (Laughter.) He had a lot of friends and a great sense of humor. In high school and in the Army, Ross became known for his ability to do impersonations. A buddy from boot camp said that Ross was the only man there who could make the drill sergeant laugh. (Laughter.)
Most of all, those who knew Ross McGinnis recall him as a dependable friend and a really good guy. If Ross was your buddy and you needed help or you got in trouble, he'd stick with you and be the one you could count on. One of his friends told a reporter that Ross was the type "who would do anything for anybody."
That element of his character was to make all the difference when Ross McGinnis became a soldier in the Army. One afternoon 18 months ago, Private McGinnis was part of a humvee patrol in a neighborhood of Baghdad. From his position in the gun turret, he noticed a grenade thrown directly at the vehicle. In an instant, the grenade dropped through the gunner's hatch. He shouted a warning to the four men inside. Confined in that tiny space, the soldiers had no chance of escaping the explosion. Private McGinnis could have easily jumped from the humvee and saved himself. Instead he dropped inside, put himself against the grenade, and absorbed the blast with his own body.
By that split-second decision, Private McGinnis lost his own life, and he saved his comrades. One of them was Platoon Sergeant Cedric Thomas, who said this: "He had time to jump out of the truck. He chose not to. He's a hero. He was just an awesome guy." For his actions, Private McGinnis received the Silver Star, a posthumous promotion in rank, and a swift nomination for the Medal of Honor. But it wasn't acclaim or credit that motivated him. Ross's dad has said, "I know medals never crossed his mind. He was always about friendships and relationships. He just took that to the ultimate this time."
When Ross McGinnis was in kindergarten, the teacher asked him to draw a picture of what he wanted to be when he grew up. He drew a soldier. Today our nation recognizing -- recognizes him as a soldier, and more than that -- because he did far more than his duty. In the words of one of our commanding generals, "Four men are alive because this soldier embodied our Army values and gave his life."
The day will come when the mission he served has been completed and the fighting is over, and freedom and security have prevailed. America will never forget those who came forward to bear the battle. America will always honor the name of this brave soldier who gave all for his country, and was taken to rest at age 19.
No one outside this man's family can know the true weight of their loss. But in words spoken long ago, we are told how to measure the kind of devotion that Ross McGinnis showed on his last day: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Gospel also gives this assurance: "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." May the deep respect of our whole nation be a comfort to the family of this fallen soldier. May God always watch over the country he served, and keep us ever grateful for the life of Ross Andrew McGinnis.
And now I'd like to invite Mr. and Mrs. McGinnis to please come forward for the presentation, and the military aide will read the citation for the Medal of Honor.
The citation is read: The President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, 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.
Spc. Ross A. McGinnis
Medal of Honor recipient
God bless you Ross McGinnis. Thank you for your sacrifice. Cannot be said enough.
Thank you Private McGinnis. Rest in Peace.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
What a terrible loss. I pray for his parents, sisters and other family members. What a young man with his whole life ahead of him. So sad. Rest in peace young warrior, your work on earth is over. We will miss you and all like you.
A true hero - and a great loss for us. RIP
Amazing. Inspiring. Compelling.
Amen.
BUMP
John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
In spite of the media and all the liberal institutions constantly berating the US military and everything it stands for, this country is still able to produce men like PFC Ross A McGinnis.
Correct, and thank the Lord there are many in our military.
RIP, Spc. McGinnis.
Why is America denied living heroes?
Granted, this young man sacrificed his life in a noble cause, as did the others, all of whom died as part of becoming recipients of the Medal of Honor. But their cause is none the less noble for all those who have performed astounding heroics, yet lived.
Are the President and the Pentagon embarrassed by our living heroes? Do they fear that a living Medal of Honor recipient might spend the rest of his life disgracing the Medal of Honor? Do they think that because many want the war to end, and our soldiers to come home, that their sacrifices should be ignored?
Right now, there is less than one living Medal of Honor recipient for every 3,000,000 Americans. With the passing of each year, as our old heroes die, they are not being replaced, even though the heroics of our soldiers are as great as they have ever been.
Our living soldiers earn every measure of honor for gallantry, but one. Why is this? Will our children and grandchildren ever have a chance to see and hear a living, undisputed hero in their lives? A hero whose actions honor his family, his community, his State, and his nation?
I saw a Medal of Honor recipient, once.
His name was Joe Foss.
He was going to fly from Phoenix to West Point, to give a speech to the cadets. He was stopped by Sky Harbor airport security, because they were afraid that he might use his Medal of Honor as a weapon.
They had never seen a Medal of Honor. They didn’t know what it was. Why should they care? It was metal, and it was pointy. That’s all it meant to them.
Joe Foss was a leading United States Marine Corps fighter pilot ace in World War II. He died in 2003.
The last Medal of Honor presented to a living recipient was during the Vietnam War.
Why is America denied living heroes?
I don’t know the answer to your question and I believe you make a valid point. As you say our younger generations should have the chance to meet or at least see some of these individuals and learn of their acts of heroism.
I’m very familiar with Joe Foss and his deeds, he was an outstanding pilot and man. I was an avid reader of the air war in WWII when I was younger.
God rest his soul; bless and protect all who serve in the cause of Freedom."The day will come when the mission he served has been completed and the fighting is over, and freedom and security have prevailed. America will never forget those who came forward to bear the battle. America will always honor the name of this brave soldier who gave all for his country, and was taken to rest at age 19."
-- President G. W. Bush
Amen!
i don’t think the service has awarded the MOH to one living member during this war. Generals don’t have to salute the dead.
You’re correct. There have been five MOH awarded for the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and they’ve all been awarded posthumously.
I’ve seen medal inflation for officers and medal deflation for lower enlisted first hand. I am, by no means, discounting this young man’s extroadinary sacrifice, but there are guys who are awarded SS’s when their counterparts in WWII would have earned an MOH, or at least a DSC / NC.
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