Ross Andrew McGinnis, Medal of Honor hero who saved four in Baghdad

Nov 11 , 2025

Ross Andrew McGinnis, Medal of Honor hero who saved four in Baghdad

Ross Andrew McGinnis heard the grenade before he saw it. In the echoing silence that follows a blast, you get one instinct. Move fast. Save lives or lose your own trying.

Ross didn’t hesitate. He threw himself on that grenade inside the armored Humvee, shielding four of his brothers. The explosion tore through flesh and steel alike, but those men survived because Ross gave everything to stop that blast. This was the cost of true sacrifice.

Background & Faith

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1987, Ross grew up in a world that demanded grit. A high school athlete with a steady heart, he found his true strength in service. Enlisting in the Army in 2006, he became a machine gunner with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

His faith quietly anchored him. Friends remember Ross as a man of prayer, humble but unwavering. Faith wasn’t a poster or a motto—it was the armor he wore when the weight of war tried to consume him.

The Battle That Defined Him

It was a cold December day, 2006, in Adhamiyah, Baghdad, in the heart of a tangled urban war zone. Ross’s convoy came under enemy fire—small arms, rockets, and every threat a soldier learns to dread.

Inside the Humvee, threat was invisible until the deadly cooking noise of a hand grenade landing near the vehicle.

Ross grabbed the split-second chance. He threw himself on top of the grenade before it exploded. In that instant, he became a human shield.

Four men inside that bloody compartment omitted their lives to a single brother’s courage.

Recognition & Testimony

Ross received the Medal of Honor posthumously on May 28, 2008, presented by President George W. Bush.

His citation reads:

“Sergeant McGinnis' heroic sacrifice saved the lives of four soldiers... His bravery and self-sacrifice reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.”[1]

Fellow soldiers spoke of Ross in reverent tones. Sergeant Kyle Scripture said, “Ross tried to outrun death that day — and bought time for the rest of us. His spirit hasn’t left these streets.”[2]

Such fearless, instinctive sacrifice is rare. A testament not only to Ross's training but to his steel-clad heart.

Legacy & Lessons

The story of Ross Andrew McGinnis is a brutal gospel.

You fight not for glory, but for the man next to you.

You cover the grenade, bear the blast, and in that final hellfire, choose life for others over your own.

The battlefield scars run deep. Yet from those wounds, redemption grows.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." — John 15:13

Ross’s actions remind veterans and civilians alike that courage isn’t about fearlessness.

It’s about confronting fear.

It’s about stepping into the fire, knowing you may never step out.

We wear Ross’s sacrifice like a weight on our souls, a charge to protect, to remember, and to live with purpose.

We owe more than medals.

We owe ourselves the resolve to honor every scar, every loss, every brother and sister who gave all.

Ross gave us that unyielding shadow to walk beneath—a legacy carved from blood and peace.

Sources

1. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Citation: Sergeant Ross Andrew McGinnis 2. The Washington Post, “A Hero’s Shield: Remembering Ross McGinnis,” 2008