[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 81 (Monday, May 23, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H2921-H2922]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SPECIALIST ROSS A. McGINNIS MEMORIAL POST OFFICE
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 433) 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''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 433
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''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Walker) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs.
Lawrence) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 433, introduced by Congressman Glenn
Thompson of Pennsylvania.
H.R. 433 designates the post office located at 523 East Railroad
Street, in Knox, Pennsylvania, as the Specialist Ross A. McGinnis
Memorial Post Office.
This bill honors a remarkably brave soldier and Medal of Honor
recipient, Army Specialist Ross McGinnis. This young man's story is one
of incredible sacrifice. When enemy combatants launched a grenade into
the vehicle occupied by Specialist McGinnis and his fellow soldiers,
Specialist McGinnis' reaction was one of inconceivable bravery. He
thrust his own body on top of the grenade to save the lives of his
comrades.
In a moment I will ask my colleague, Congressman Thompson, the
sponsor of this bill, to share more about this hero and his incredible
story. In the meantime, I want to urge Members to support this bill to
name a post office to honor McGinnis' life and his sacrifice.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 433,
a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 523 Railroad Street in Knox, Pennsylvania, as the Specialist
Ross A. McGinnis Memorial Post Office.
There are a number of post offices that we are bringing forward
today, recognizing the sacrifice and the commitment of our American
citizens to our country. It is noteworthy to put into the Record that
Ross McGinnis was promoted after death to Specialist and received the
Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the prestigious Medal of Honor for
his heroic actions.
Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to commemorate the ultimate
sacrifice that Specialist Ross McGinnis made to our country. I urge its
passage.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in just a few days, people
across the Nation will pause on Memorial Day to remember the men and
women who paid the ultimate sacrifice, losing their lives as members of
America's Armed Forces.
As a Member of Congress and an Army dad, with my son, Logan, being
wounded in Iraq, I know some of the struggles our military families go
through every day. I also know how courageous and strong our fighting
men and women are, and the bravery of those who did not make it home.
I rise in support of H.R. 433, which renames the United States Post
Office in Knox, Pennsylvania, as the Specialist Ross A. McGinnis
Memorial Post Office, a designation which will honor an exceptionally
brave young man.
Medal of Honor recipient Ross A. McGinnis was born June 14, 1987,
Flag Day, in Meadville, Pennsylvania, the son of Tom and Romayne
McGinnis. He was killed in the line of duty on December 4, 2006, while
serving in Iraq.
Ross grew up in the community of Knox, located in Pennsylvania's
Fifth Congressional District. He attended Clarion County Public Schools
and was a member of the Boy Scouts, along with participating in
basketball, soccer, and Little League Baseball. He was a member of the
St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Knox, and a 2005 graduate of Keystone
Junior-Senior High School.
Ross had long wanted to be a soldier, and in 2004, on his 17th
birthday, he visited an Army recruiting center and joined the delayed
entry program.
Following his initial training, Ross was deployed to eastern Baghdad
in August of 2006. He served as an M2 .50-caliber machine gunner in the
1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in
support of operations intended to combat an intense insurgency in that
region.
On December 4, 2006, McGinnis' platoon was on mounted patrol in
[[Page H2922]]
Adhamiyah. During the course of the patrol, an insurgent on a nearby
rooftop threw a grenade into the vehicle Ross was riding in. Without
hesitation or regard for his own life, McGinnis threw his body on top
of the grenade, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Posthumously,
he was promoted to Specialist and was awarded the Silver Star.
On June 2, 2008, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In part, his
citation reads his ``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.''
It is my hope that through the naming of this post office, his
heroism and selflessness will live long through the ages.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, again, I urge the passage of H.R. 433.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 433.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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