Ross A. McGinnis Memorial Post Office Dedication Set for Tonight

| October 24, 2016

Ross McGinnisKNOX, Pa. (EYT) – The Specialist Ross A. McGinnis Memorial Post Office will be officially dedicated on Monday, October 24, at 6:00 p.m. with a special ceremony at the Knox Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall on East Railroad Street across from the Post Office.

McGinnis, a former resident of Knox, suffered a hero’s death while serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq in 2006, eventually awarded a posthumous the Medal of Honor in 2008.

The public ceremony will include American Legion Post 720, local Scout troops, and the Community Choir.

The bill to name the building was introduced into the U.S. Congress by Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) on Jan. 21, 2015, and was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The committee ordered the bill reported by unanimous consent on May 17, 2016.

McGinnis joined the Army’s delayed entry program upon turning 17. He was assigned to First Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment in Schweinfurt, Germany, after training at Fort Benning, Ga. The unit was deployed to Eastern Baghdad in August of 2006.

On December 4, 2006, McGinnis was on a mounted patrol in Adhamiyah, when an insurgent on a nearby rooftop threw a grenade into the vehicle in which he was riding. McGinnis threw his body on top of the grenade, thereby saving the lives of his four fellow platoon mates.

McGinnis was posthumously promoted from private first class to specialist and was awarded the Medal of Honor by George W. Bush at a June 2, 2008 White House Ceremony. The award was presented to McGinnis’ parents, Tom and Romayne McGinnis of Shippenville.

Romayne is a Knox native, and the town was where she and Tom raised Ross and his two sisters, Katie McGinnis and Becky Gorman.

“I know the Knox community was very much supportive of us when Ross was killed,” Romayne said. “The town had the yellow ribbons on every parking meter, the patriotism, the flags were flying. It was just an awesome sight.”

“It was very heartwarming for us, as a family, to witness that. The community was definitely behind us and supported us through our tough time.”

The memorial to their son is additionally special because Romayne’s father worked at the Knox Post Office for 32 years after getting out of the U.S. Army.

Ross McGinnis Post Office


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