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Headstone for McGinnis unveiled at Arlington

Hand in hand, Tom and Romayne McGinnis pulled away the blue shroud that covered their son’s headstone at Arlington National Cemetery, their last public act to cap a week in which their son was honored with the nation’s highest award for valor.

The headstone marking Spc. Ross McGinnis’ final resting place now bears the distinctive emblem of the Medal of Honor, and the letters of his name glitter in gold.

The ceremony Wednesday at Arlington was short and simple, attended by family, friends and the 19-year-old soldier’s brothers-in-arms.

It was the last of three ceremonies to honor Ross McGinnis, who was killed Dec. 4, 2006, in Adhamiyah, Iraq, when he smothered a grenade with his body. His actions saved the lives of the four soldiers in his Humvee.

On Monday, President Bush presented Tom and Romayne McGinnis with the Medal of Honor at the White House. The next day, top Defense Department and Army leaders honored Ross McGinnis by inducting him into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.

“Long before that day in Adhamiyah, Ross proved his courage on his 17th birthday when he joined the Army,” Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody said during the 45-minute ceremony at the Pentagon.

As McGinnis matured as a soldier and as his unit, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, prepared for duty in Iraq, the soldiers built “the kind of trust that turns strangers into brothers,” Cody said.

“The crucible of combat only strengthened that trust,” he said.

When the grenade fell into the turret and into the Humvee, “all that duty required was that Ross warn the crew and attempt to escape to safety,” Cody said. “But love for his brothers required more.”

The four men who were in the Humvee with McGinnis — Sgt. 1st Class Cedric D. Thomas, now-retired Staff Sgt. Ian Newland, Sgt. Lyle Buehler and Spc. Sean Lawson — attended all three ceremonies this week.

“Ross gave these four men a gift, and that’s what it was,” said Tom McGinnis, the soldier’s father, during his remarks to the audience on Tuesday. “It can not be carried as a debt. A debt is something you can repay. A gift is something you enjoy. So live your lives, enjoy your lives, because it was a gift. Ross is the reason we’re here, and the reason Ross is not here is because his Army buddies were more important than life itself.”

Tom McGinnis added that he and his family appreciate all the support they have received.

“But I feel there is someone out there more important than [my wife] Romayne and I, and that is the troops who are still active,” he said. “It’s important that we show them our appreciation … so that they are reminded that they are appreciated and will be welcomed when they come home.”

During the ceremony at the Pentagon, Tom and Romayne McGinnis unveiled a framed photograph of their son and the citation that accompanies his Medal of Honor. They also unveiled a plaque that lists his name among the other Medal of Honor recipients from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The couple received a standing ovation when they were presented with the Medal of Honor flag, a light blue flag with gold fringe and 13 white stars that replicate the Medal of Honor ribbon.

McGinnis is the second soldier to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, who was killed April 4, 2003 fighting off insurgents in a fierce battle south of Baghdad, was awarded the Medal of Honor two years after he died.

Two other service members have been awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq: Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham and Master-at-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael Monsoor.

One Medal of Honor has been awarded for actions in Afghanistan, to Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL.

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Visit the Army’s Web site on Spc. Ross McGinnis: www.army.mil/medalofhonor/mcginnis/index.html.

Previous stories:

• McGinnis inducted into Hall of Heroes

• McGinnis receives Medal of Honor