Ross A. McGinnis: Difference between revisions

In August 2006, aged 19, the regiment was deployed to eastern [[Baghdad]] and he was serving as a [[M2 Browning machine gun|.50 caliber machine-gunner]] in a [[High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle|HMMWV]] during operations against [[Taliban insurgency|insurgents]] in [[Adhamiyah]]. On 4 December, while his [[platoon]] was on mounted patrol in Adhamiyah, a grenade was thrown into his vehicle. He shouted a warning to the other four men in the vehicle, so they could prepare for the blast. When one of the men responded they could not see where the device had landed, instead of jumping out of the gunner's hatch, McGinnis threw his back over the grenade, absorbing the bulk of the blast. He was killed instantly, but the other occupants suffered only minor injuries.<ref name=USA_McGinnis_Battlescape>{{Cite web |publisher= [[United States Army]]|title = Medal of Honor - SPC Ross A. McGinnis - Battlescape |date = |url = http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/mcginnis/battlescape/ |accessdate = 12 June 2008}}</ref>

 

He is buried at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] in [[Virginia]] and his grave can be found in section 60, site 8544.<ref name="findagrave">{{Find a Grave|16919355|work=Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients|accessdate=24 June 2009}}</ref> Since the beginning of the Iraq War, he is one of five known United States servicemembers who have thrown themselves on a live grenade. The other personnel known to have done this are Marine [[Corporal]] [[Jason Dunham]], [[Navy SEAL]] [[Petty Officer 2nd Class]] [[Michael A. Monsoor]], Marine Corporal [[Kyle Carpenter]], and Marine [[Sergeant]] [[Rafael Peralta]].<ref name=usatoday>{{Cite news|accessdate=13 November 2007|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-19-Grenade_N.htm|first=Gregg|last=Zoroya|title=In Iraq, coping after a hero dies saving you|work=USA Today|date=27 September 2007}}</ref> McGinnis was the fourth recipient of the Medal of Honor in the course of the [[Iraq War]].<ref name=StarsandStripes>{{Cite news|work = Stars and Stripes|title=19-year-old who died protecting others will be awarded Medal of Honor|date=24 May 2008|author=Shane, Leo III|url = http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55042|accessdate=12 June 2008}}</ref>