Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis

Someone you should know.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis packed only 136 pounds into his 6-foot frame, but few have ever matched his inner strength.

McGinnis sacrificed himself in an act of supreme bravery on Dec. 4, belying his status as the youngest Soldier in Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

The 19-year-old amateur mechanic from Knox , Pa. , who enjoyed poker and loud music, likely saved the lives of four Soldiers riding with him on a mission in Baghdad .

McGinnis was manning the gunner’s hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. It flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio.

His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas of Longview , Texas , recalled what happened next.

“Pfc. McGinnis yelled ‘Grenade…It’s in the truck,’” Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.”

McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped.

“He had time to jump out of the truck,” Thomas said. “He chose not to.”

Thomas remembered 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 .

For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, McGinnis earned the Silver Star, posthumously. His unit paid their final respects in a somber ceremony here Dec. 11.

McGinnis was born June 14, 1987, and joined the Army right after graduating high school in 2005. He had been in the Army 18 months and made his mark even before his heroic deed.

“He was a good kid,” said C Company’s senior enlisted Soldier, 1st Sgt. Kenneth J. Hendrix. “He had just gotten approved for a waiver to be promoted to specialist.”

He also appeared on the Nov. 30 cover of Stars & Stripes, manning his turret.

Besides his military accomplishments, McGinnis leaves his friends and family with memories of a fun-loving, loyal man.

Private First Class Brennan Beck, a 1-26 infantryman from Lodi , Calif. , said McGinnis made others feel better.

“He would go into a room and when he left, everyone was laughing,” Beck said. “He did impersonations of others in the company. He was quick-witted, just hilarious. He loved making people laugh. He was a comedian through and through.”

While having a witty side, McGinnis took his job seriously.

“He was not a garrison Soldier. He hated it back in garrison,” Beck said. “He loved it here in Iraq . He loved being a gunner. It was a thrill, he loved everything about it. He was one our best Soldiers. He did a great job.”

Beck has memories of talking all night with McGinnis about where they wanted their lives to go, and said McGinnis always remembered his friends.

“When I had my appendix removed, he was the only one who visited me in the hospital,” Beck said. “That meant a lot.”

Another 1-26 infantryman, Private First ClassMichael Blair of Klamath Falls , Ore. , recalled that McGinnis helped him when he arrived at Ledward Barracks in Schweinfurt , Germany .

“When I first came to the unit…he was there and took me in and showed me around,” Blair said. “He was real easy to talk to. You could tell him anything. He was a funny guy. He was always making somebody laugh.”

McGinnis’ final heroic act came as no surprise to Blair.

“He was that kind of person,” Blair said. “He would rather take it himself than have his buddies go down.”

The brigade’s senior noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. William Johnson, also had high praise for McGinnis.

“Anytime when you get a Soldier to do something like that - to give his life to protect his fellow Soldiers - that’s what heroes are made of,” Johnson said.

It also demonstrates, Johnson continued, that the ‘MySpace Generation’ has what it takes to carry on the Army’s proud traditions.

“Some think Soldiers who come in today are all about themselves,” Johnson said. “I see it differently.”

The Silver Star has already been approved for McGinnis’ actions Dec.4, and will be awarded posthumously.

Well done, PFC McGinnis. Requiescat Im Pace.

However, I have a question. Is the Silver Star a final award, or an interim? Why do I ask? Glad you asked. This is why:

*ANDERSON, JAMES, JR.
*ANDERSON, RICHARD A.
*AUSTIN, OSCAR P.
*BACA, JOHN P.
*BARKER, JEDH COLBY
*BARNES, JOHN ANDREW III
*BELCHER, TED
*BELLRICHARD, LESLIE ALLEN
*BLANCHFIELD, MICHAEL R.
*BOWEN, HAMMETT L., JR.
*CARTER, BRUCE W.
*COKER, RONALD L.
*CONNOR, PETER S.
*CREEK, THOMAS E.
*DAHL, LARRY G.
*DAVIS, RODNEY MAXWELL
*DE LA GARZA, EMILIO A., JR.
*DICKEY, DOUGLAS E.
*FERNANDEZ, DANIEL
*FLEEK, CHARLES CLINTON
*FOLLAND, MICHAEL FLEMING
*FOSTER, PAUL HELLSTROM
*FOUS, JAMES W.
*FRATELLENICO, FRANK R.
*GUENETTE, PETER M.
*HARVEY, CARMEL BERNON, JR.
HERDA, FRANK A.
*HOSKING, CHARLES ERNEST, JR.
*HOWE, JAMES D.
*INGALLS, GEORGE ALAN
*JENKINS, ROBERT H., JR.
*JOHNSON, RALPH H.
*KAROPCZYC, STEPHEN EDWARD
*KELLOGG, ALLAN JAY, JR.
*KINSMAN, THOMAS JAMES
*LANGHORN, GARFIELD M.
*LAW, ROBERT D.
*LEISY, ROBERT RONALD
*LONG, DONALD RUSSELL

What do these 39 men have in common? They all, in one way or another, fell on grenades to save the lives of others around them. Some were involved in hairy fights, some were isolated incidents. Few of them survived.

In other words, they all acted as did PFC McGinnis.

The difference? All the names listed above, except for PFC McGinnis, recieved the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. And that's only from the A-L list, not the M-Z list.

And that doesn't include WWII or WWI, which I don't have time to go through.

So, I hope this is an *interim* award. I've asked. I'll let you know if I get an answer.

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: In Memoriam.

Update: Glad I asked. I just got this (of course, right *after* I posted the above) from a buddy and long-time reader who is in-country and in a position to know.

John,

Just wanted to give you a heads up that PFC Ross McGinnis, 1-26 IN, was
KIA on 04 DEC 2006 here in Baghdad. His parents will receive his Silver Star (hopefully interim) at the funeral. He is being submitted for the Medal of Honor. AIF got a grenade into his M1151 through the top hatch.

He yelled "Grenade" and shielded his comrades by throwing his body on the grenade. Everyone in that vehicle walked away; some were pretty hurt, but nonetheless, were alive.

I hope this award doesn't drag out for two-plus years.

C

Good. And ditto on that timeliness thing.

Update: Glad I asked. I just got this (of course, right *after* I posted the above) from a buddy and long-time reader who is in-country and in a position to know.

John,

Just wanted to give you a heads up that PFC Ross McGinnis, 1-26 IN, was KIA on 04 DEC 2006 here in Baghdad. His parents will receive his Silver Star (hopefully interim) at the funeral. He is being submitted for the Medal of Honor. AIF got a grenade into his M1151 through the top hatch.

He yelled "Grenade" and shielded his comrades by throwing his body on the grenade. Everyone in that vehicle walked away; some were pretty hurt, but nonetheless, were alive.

I hope this award doesn't drag out for two-plus years.

C

Good. And ditto on that timliness thing.

As ever, Matt does it better. More story here.

Fran O'Brien's Update

There's been some confusion over a Washington Post story about Fran O'Brien's. Confusion cleared up here.

Get Your God On

HotAir links to this video by the Christian Embassy featuring a whole bunch of senior military leaders in uniform speaking about their faith in, among other places, the Pentagon. Allah asks whether this violates DODI 1334.01, which prohibits wearing the uniform:

...when participating in activities such as unofficial public speeches, interviews, picket lines, marches, rallies or any public demonstration, which may imply Service sanction of the cause for which the demonstration or activity is conducted.

Had such a request come across my desk for review, I’d have likely advised against it based on the potential that it would be seen as an official endorsement of a private organization. But 1334.01 does provide for exceptions to the general prohibition provided authorization is received.

DOD personnel can participate in private orgs in their personal capacities–they cannot do so (in or out of uniform) and attempt to coerce subordinates to join/donate money/etc. So even though I would have advised against it–nothing I saw in the video leads me to believe that DOD is endorsing Christian Embassy, either explicitly or implicitly. The video participants speak exclusively of their own beliefs, not DOD policy. So while it's a close question given their wearing of the uniform, ultimately I'd say the statements are not violative of existing policy.

As an additional note–the MRFF “compliance” PDF is garbage. It speaks of emails sent from an Air Force account that include bible verses as being “illegal” since, in their words “according to regulations, [such accounts] should be used solely for military business.”

Wrong.

A Man To Emulate

This is the second time this week I learn of somebody I should have known a long time ago. Read Blackfive's tribute...and then go read CPT Patriquin's thoughts on working in Iraq.

Soldier Stories

I started to write a Dadmanly Profile for MILBLOGGERS. I ended up writing about the significance of stories to soldiers, stories about their experiences, humorous anecdotes, remembrances, just stories, before I was very far into it at all. Rather than make the MILBLOGGER profile overly lengthy – I tell you, what I need most is a good editor – I thought I’d make this its own post.

I visit a Vet Center from time to time, and in one of our group sessions, I remarked that I felt guilty that I hadn’t done more for my troops as a First Sergeant, mobilized, training, and then during deployment to Iraq. Oh, I did what I needed to do, I watched what I needed to watch, disciplined who I needed to discipline, stocked what I needed to stock and fixed what was broke. I did the duty, took some pictures, got a medal way too easily earned, would have got the T shirt, if we’d bothered to make one.

But somehow, I took care of my psyche, my emotional and spiritual needs my own way, almost in isolation. My faith was central, but MILBLOGGING was my emotional lifeline, as important to my strength and morale as the frequent phone calls and IM and emails with my wife and family. Every troop needs some kind of emotional contact, and I hadn’t been that as much as I could have been for my troops. I kept pretty close to home, so to speak.

One of the young men at the Vet Center, struggling with his own demons with post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) since combat, challenged me to turn my guilt into action. He said that I wouldn’t be in that room, saying what I was saying, if it were really the case that I wasn’t ready to help my men and women when they needed me most. He said, “Top, they need you now. You’re a First Sergeant, you need to remember what it’s like and advocate for your troops. You need to make sure they get taken care of, that they get what they deserve.” I added to that thought, thinking that they need to get what they deserve from the Nation that owes them more than can be repaid.

I often think about the guys at the Vet Center. Some of them are angry, some are hurting, and all have been affected by their time in combat. We all of us share concentric circles of connection, we who serve.

(For the rest of Soldier Stories, check back at Dadmanly.)

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