He enlisted into the Army on the very first day he could, his 17th birthday. That was how badly Ross McGinnis wanted to be a soldier. All the drawing of Army men as a kid and all the playing war in the back yard had blossomed into something real. The knowledge that he would have to fight in one or both of our ongoing conflicts did nothing to dissuade this born patriot - Ross McGinnis was committed to being a soldier. Two years later, in August 2006, his wish had come true - PFC McGinnis touched down in Eastern Baghdad. Only 19 years old and one of the younger members of his platoon he was nonetheless tasked in the most important non-leadership role of his platoon as the M2 .50 caliber machine gunner. For those of you not familiar with this position, not only was he responsible for the most casualty producing weapon in his platoon, he was the eyes and ears of his gun truck. PFC McGinnis was more than up to the task, eventually becoming the trail vehicle gunner in charge of the convoy’s rear security. That was where Ross McGinnis was on 4 December 2006. While covering his convoy’s rear in Adhamyyah, Iraq, an insurgent threw a grenade from the rooftop of a building. It went through the turret of PFC McGinnis’s gun truck, landing at his feet. Knowing the rest of the men in his Humvee wouldn’t be able to get out in time, and without regard for his own life, PFC McGinnis jumped on the grenade. He was killed instantly. Earlier this month, just short of what would have been his 21st birthday, SPC Ross McGinnis’s parents accepted his Medal of Honor on his behalf. A 19-year-old with the maturity, quick thinking, and grasp of selfless service to save the men of his gun truck, even if they were his friends, was remarkable. Yet what made Ross McGinnis a hero was already there long before he ever laid his life down for his friends and brothers in arms. You need to look no further than his MySpace page to see what I am talking about. Reading his writing and looking at his pictures you see a young man who loved his job and had most of his life in front of him. You also see a place kept alive by the men who knew him best. Two years later the page is still active with the love and friendship of the men in his unit. His friends and brothers in arms still leave comments like Spc. McGinnis was physically living just down the hall of their barracks in Germany – as if at any moment he might bust through the door cracking jokes and calling out for someone to fire up the Xbox. He is still a part of their lives. He was, and still is, someone who mattered. He is someone who will never be forgotten. Specialist McGinnis’s legacy isn’t the Medal of Honor his parents accepted on his behalf. It is the impact he has on those around him. Two years after his death, he is still a part of his brothers’ daily lives. We here at Ranger Up honor not only Specialist McGinnis’s courage and self-sacrifice that fateful day – but the manner in which he led his life up until that day. Those are the moments that make him special, and they are the ones that continue to inspire his family and compatriots today - many of which continue to charge into the fray, summoning his strength to protect us against those that would do us harm. Thank you, brother. Copyright of Tommy |
 |
|
Similar Items: