[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 433 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.433
One Hundred Fourteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the fourth day of January, two thousand and sixteen
An Act
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at
523 East Railroad Street in Knox, Pennsylvania, as the ``Specialist Ross
A. McGinnis Memorial Post Office''.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Ross Andrew McGinnis was born and raised in Knox,
Pennsylvania, the son of Tom and Romayne McGinnis.
(2) Specialist McGinnis joined the Army in 2004 and following
his training, was assigned to 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st
Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st
Infantry Division.
(3) On December 4, 2006, McGinnis was killed in action while
serving in Iraq. For his actions that day, he was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush on June 2,
2008.
(4) From the official Medal of Honor Army Citation:
(A) Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis, United States
Army. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of
his life above and beyond the call of duty.
(B) Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished
himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond
the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine
Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry
Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed
enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December
2006.
(C) That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat
control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian
violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2
.50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an
insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle.
Reacting quickly, he yelled ``grenade,'' allowing all four
members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast. Then,
rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private
McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a
selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded,
Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between
his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.
(D) Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four
men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class
McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of
his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping
with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect
great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States
Army.
SEC. 2. SPECIALIST ROSS A. MCGINNIS MEMORIAL POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 523 East Railroad Street in Knox, Pennsylvania, shall be
known and designated as the ``Specialist Ross A. McGinnis Memorial Post
Office''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document,
paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to
in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Specialist
Ross A. McGinnis Memorial Post Office''.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.