This Soldier Who Threw Himself On A Grenade To Save His Friends... Now 9 Years Later...

#1 Remembering Ross McGinnis

It was December 4th, 2006 when the world lost a true hero in Ross Andrew McGinnis. The United States Army recruit was fighting in Iraq when he threw himself over a grenade that had been thrown near him, all to save his friends lives over his!

#2 A Born Hero

Ross had always known he wanted to fight for America - when given a questionnaire as a kid which read "When I grow up, I want to be __________," he wrote "an Army Man."

#3 Training Began

At 17 year old he finished basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia and was then assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in Schweinfurt, Germany. Two years later, he became a .50 caliber machine-gunner in Bagdhad where he bravely saved the lives of his friends.

#4 Honoring His Sacrifice

After his passing, Ross was given the Medal of Honour for his bravery and true display of heroism. On the 9th anniversary of his death, Ross' good friend Brennan shared a touching message on Facebook:

"Take a moment and look closely at this picture. This is me on my first day in Iraq standing next to my best friend, Ross McGinnis. We were both 19 then. Ross was the youngest man in our battalion. He was a goofy kid with a great sense of humor. He was so skinny you could almost count his ribs under his shirt. He hated PT as much as anyone. Not your typical 'American Sniper' type hero. But despite his non-heroic appearance, I'll wager you won't find a more heroic person. Nine years ago today, he sacrificed himself by lying on top of a hand grenade thrown into his vehicle, absorbing the blast and saving the other four soldiers inside his Humvee. Ross was killed instantly and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award.

For years, this day brought me grief, but now I take something else away from it: Love. Ross loved his country so much that he put aside personal liberties to join the Army during wartime at 18 years old. Ross loved his job so much that he did it without complaint every day through the worst of conditions. Ross loved his brothers so much that he literally died for them...."