HARRISBURG — State Rep. Russell H. Fairchild, R-85 of Lewisburg, was among those who honored a Pennsylvania soldier who gave his life while serving in Iraq during a dedication ceremony Monday in Soldiers’ Grove.
Army Spc. Ross A. McGinnis, of Clarion County, posthumously received the Medal of Honor after sacrificing his life to save four others. He threw himself on top of an enemy grenade to protect four U.S. soldiers on Dec. 4, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq.
“Some 35 years ago, I saw from my position as a combat platoon leader in Vietnam the sacrifices that men make for their country,” said Fairchild, who serves as the Republican chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee. “These weren’t easy choices. They weren’t simple choices. But they were choices from their heart, their mind and their soul. Watching heroism in action, I saw soldiers from small towns like Ross’ in Knox and big cities alike share one common goal — giving their all for their country.”
During the ceremony to dedicate a monument to McGinnis, Fairchild was joined by McGinnis’ parents, Tom and Romayne McGinnis; other family members; Adjutant Gen. Jessica Wright, who presented the keynote address; members of the Pennsylvania National Guard; and fellow legislators and guests. The ceremony included a rifle salute and helicopter fly-over by the National Guard.
“Specialist McGinnis shared that same love of country and patriotism,” Fairchild said during the ceremony. “He gave his all — he gave his life — for others. In those split seconds when he saw the grenade land in his Humvee, he instinctively made his decision. Giving no thought to his own safety, he did what even very few heroes do — he knew what to do. And for his unselfish actions, he saved the lives of others. That’s not just a soldier doing his duty ... that’s a soldier I am proud and honored to call a true American patriot and an eternal hero.”
Medal of Honor recipients from Pennsylvania are honored in perpetuity with markers in Soldiers’ Grove, adjacent to the state Capitol’s East Wing.
