04DEC2006: Serving as a .50 cal machine gunner, PFC Ross McGinnis and his unit left COP Apache for a short patrol through the deadly streets of Adhamiyah, Iraq. Shortly into the movement, an insurgent dropped a grenade from above that went through the gunner's hatch and landed inside of McGinnis' vehicle. As trained, McGinnis alerted his team to the grenade and began to exit the vehicle to safety. Sitting in the turret, McGinnis was already halfway out and was just a second or two from being clear of the blast. However, his teammates in the vehicle were strapped in and couldn't move as easily. They also couldn't see the grenade. Rather than save himself, PFC McGinnis removed his harness and dropped through the gunner's hatch to cover the grenade with his back. The ensuing blast killed him instantly but saved the lives of all four crew members in the vehicle. For his incredible sacrifice to save his brothers in arms, PFC Ross McGinnis would be awarded, posthumously, the Medal of Honor.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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