American Heroes

This post comes from Greg Koukl’s Stand To Reason blog. It details the newest recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, a real American Hero.

Pfc. Ross McGinnis was awarded the Medal of Honor today for sacrificing his life to save the lives of his crew when a grenade was thrown into their truck while on patrol in Baghdad.

“Pfc. McGinnis yelled ‘Grenade! … It’s in the truck,’” [his platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric] Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.” McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped. “He had time to jump out of the truck,” Thomas said. “He chose not to.”

It’s is amazing that Pfc. McGinnis had nurtured the courage and love for his comrades that in a split second he was able to exercise those virtues and sacrifice their lives for the sake of theirs. Virtues only exhibit themselves in a crisis when they’re needed if they are cultivated in ordinary circumstances. His father explained that Pfc. McGinnis had a somewhat direction-less and troubled adolescence, and then submitted himself to the discipline of the military to devote himself to a higher purpose. It’s truly impressive and inspiring that the military so regularly develops such individuals as Pfc. McGinnis.

We share his family’s pride and sorrow.

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