Soldier Sacrificed His Life For Others

Teen Who Covered Grenade in Iraq Is Laid to Rest

Under a brilliant midday sun, hundreds of mourners gathered at the grave of Spec. Ross Andrew McGinnis yesterday to pay their respects to a teenager who, in accepting death, saved the lives of four men.

The 19-year-old Army gunner from the outskirts of Pittsburgh was on patrol in Baghdad's Adhamiyah neighborhood Dec. 4 when a grenade sailed through his hatch and into the Humvee, according to official military accounts.

When he realized the four soldiers inside would not be able to escape in time, he leapt into the vehicle and covered the grenade with his body, taking the full brunt of the explosion.

"He had the opportunity to escape," his father, Thomas McGinnis, said in an interview before the funeral. "He chose not to."

Ross McGinnis was posthumously promoted from private first class to specialist and awarded the Silver Star. He has also been nominated for the Medal of Honor.

Just after 11 a.m. yesterday, a convoy led by two buses and flanked by the Pittsburgh Patriot Guard Riders rolled up to Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, where the new war dead are buried. As the Riders' motorcycles rumbled, hundreds of mourners stepped into the warm sun and silently gathered behind a yellow rope. McGinnis's family sat in green-draped chairs at the grave.

The military funeral rites took place around them with characteristic efficiency, and the crowd watched with customary solemnity. But the chaplain's eulogy was fiery. He spoke passionately of the young man's heroic deeds, gesturing dramatically and stomping his feet.

"As his flesh was torn apart, his name was written in history," said Lt. Col. Michael Bearfield, the chaplain. "Truly [God] has a place for your son because he saved innocent lives."

In 20 minutes, the funeral was over. But Thomas McGinnis said the grief he felt when two Army officers appeared at his front door to tell him that his youngest child was dead will continue for a long time.

"At that moment, I felt as if I had slipped off the edge of a cliff and there was nothing to grab onto," he wrote in a statement published on washingtonpost.com Dec. 23. "If only my life could have ended just a moment before this so that I would not have to hear the words they were about to say."

Born on Flag Day, Ross McGinnis was destined to become a soldier, his father said. In kindergarten, he told his teacher that he wanted to be an "Army man." He enlisted on his 17th birthday, the first day he was eligible.

Military life apparently suited him. In an article in the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, soldiers in his platoon called him the "combat cameraman," because he was almost never without a camera, and recalled that "shooting big guns and getting paid for it" was his dream job.

Thomas McGinnis said his son was friendly and funny, not particularly inclined toward school but fascinated with cars. On his return, he planned to study automotive technology and pursue a career working on high-performance vehicles.

When Thomas McGinnis learned of the circumstances of his son's death, it made sense that Ross gave his life for his friends, he said.

"His friends were the most important thing in his life," he said. "He had a way with people, of letting them get close to him and getting to know the real Ross."

McGinnis was the 320th service member killed supporting the Iraq war to be buried at Arlington.