|
Medal Goes To Soldier Who Jumped On Grenade
USA Today
December 13, 2006
Pg. 10
Medal Goes To Soldier Who Jumped On Grenade
By Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - Pfc. Ross McGinnis was perched in the gunner's hatch of a
Humvee when a grenade sailed past him and into the truck, where four
other soldiers sat during a Dec. 4 mission in Baghdad.
McGinnis shouted a warning to the other soldiers before hurling himself
onto the grenade, lodged near the vehicle's radio, shortly before it
blew up and killed him.
For saving the lives of the other soldiers and sacrificing his own,
McGinnis, 19, of Knox, Pa., has been posthumously awarded the Silver
Star, according to a U.S. military statement released in Iraq.
The medal is given to U.S. Army servicemembers who have been cited for
gallantry in action.
McGinnis was the youngest soldier in his company. His platoon sergeant,
Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas, was quoted as saying that McGinnis yelled,
"Grenade ... it's in the truck!" before the explosion.
McGinnis chose to throw himself on the explosive even though he had
enough time to jump out of 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," he
said.
The four other soldiers riding in the vehicle were wounded, but three
have recovered and returned to duty. The fourth is being treated in
Germany.
|