His name was Ross McGinnis. And he was a Soldier ...!!! A United States Army Specialist, serving with a combat unit in Iraq,  he was 19 years old ...!! Just a kid ...! Hardly old enough to shave! And he gave his life for ... me ..!?!? And the irony of it all is that I owe this man a debt I could never repay ... and I never even met him.

He's a hero ..! One of America's heros, whose name you've most likely never heard until today. A young man from the small, western Pennsylvania town of Knox, McGinnis was one of those unsung heroes of America. A handsome young man, who simply wanted to live his life being one of America's finest. So with hard training and personal sacrifice, he earned the right to wear her uniform. And in that uniform, he was called upon to give his all. And he did so ... self-less-ly ..!!!

Its a remarkable story. Last December, while on patrol,  Ross was manning a 50 Calibre machinegun on the turret of his Humvee Combat Vehicle. A grenade was thrown and, although he tried deflect it, the grenade fell inside the vehicle with four of his buddies. Training called for him to cry a warning to them and then escape. Instead, Specialist Ross McGinnis threw himself between the grenade and the men inside the Humvee, absorbing the full impact of the blast, "laying down his life for his friends," saving them by the selfless sacrifice of own life. May God in His eternity bless this man of tremendous courage and honor.

Why did I say he died for me ...?? Because Ross McGinnis was fighting the terror that wants to take my life and the lives of my family ... and your life ... and your family ... and your country! His family received from President Bush a posthumous Medal Of Honor .. and rightly so. But the world's weight in medals could never repay the debt we owe this young man and his family ..!!!

Specialist Ross McGinnis ..! American Hero ...!!