European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 2007 stars and stripes heroes Page 7 the grenade is in the truck name Ross Andrew Mcginnis unit company 1st 26th infantry regiment medal Silver Star earned in Iraq by Mark stars and stripes he was patrolling Baghdad Adham Yah neighbourhood with members of cobra Manning a machine gun from atop the last of a six vehicle after turning onto a City an enemy fighter on a nearby rooftop threw a it dropped through his Turret and into his his actions were instantaneous and and for them he was awarded the Silver Star and has been recommended for the medal of Ross Andrew Mcginnis posthumously promoted for his bravery paid the ultimate Price throwing himself on the grenade to save the four others inside his when he saw it go he yelled Gre Nade Over the vehicle intercom and tried to deflect the truck who also was Mcginnis platoon didst know that the grenade had gotten inside and where to Mcginn who looked As if he was going to jump out of his gunners Hatch to realizing that the four other soldiers inside were he the grenade is in the truck and threw his body on trapping the deadly explosive Between his Back and the radio mount Between the two front he was killed but his warn Ings to the other Crew members gave them time to posture themselves for mini Mal because of none was seriously Ben and stripes Ross Mcginnis mans his weapons in Baghdad in a photo that appeared in stars and stripes before he he was later Laving his dream Job of shooting big guns and getting paid for the native was just 19 when he he had wanted to be a Soldier since and he signed up for delayed entry in the army on his 17th birth Day the first Day he was his Thomas and told Mem Bers of his his company commander in Michael of company 1st Battal 26th infantry and other members of his unit remembered How he loved the after a picture of Mcginnis and his graced the cover of an edition of stars and Baka told him he was Mcginnis brushed it but his friends said he cherished the photo and carried it with him Baka also was the one who first recommended Mcginnis for the medal of As the United states High est award for wartime is approved sparingly and takes months or even years to be Only two have been Given out for actions taken since and both the first to 1st class Paul Ray Smith of the army 3rd infantry was presented to Smiths wife and two children by presi Dent Bush on april 2005 two years to the Day after Smiths it took two and a half years after the death of the second Marine Jason for word that he would be according to the army official web because of the need for the medal of Honor recommendation process can take in excess of 18 months with intense scrutiny every step of the six months after his Mcginnis medal of Honor recommendation has been approved at every step so and it is presently working its Way through the army human resources email Mark  it was instant gunfight every time we left7 by Ben Murray stars and stripes Nathan Salvemini didst earn his Bronze Star with valor for a specific there was no one Day or partic ular no specific operation that earned him the distinct when recall ing the events of his deploy ment to East Ern Afghani Stan in late 2004 and Early the combat controller from the 321st special tactics Squadron at Raf Mildenhall reels off a Litany of harrowing any one of which sound like they could be the basis of a distinct fighting out of an ambush in an afghan thwarting a nighttime raid by scores of Taliban fighters on his coordinating artillery and air assets to help free a group of pinned Down a the area around Forward operating base Tillman at the time was so Rife with enemy activity working from observation posts and sniper Sal Salvemini was responsible for 80 percent of All name Nathan Salvemini unit 321st special tactics Squadron medal Bronze Star with earned 20042005 in Afghanistan close air support missions in Afghanistan Over his three month com Manders later told it was so i  even have to Call Down air Salvemini pilots in combat aircraft a10 Thunder ah64 High level bombers knew they could just Fly Over the area and expect a Mission from Salvemini it was a dangerous time to be at Fob a Small outpost within sight of the Pakistan we were getting hit with rockets every other Salvemini on his first Day at the Fob Tillman was showered with 35 rockets in just two he going outside the wire was hardly a Safe bet it was instant gunfight every time we left the he sitting in his outpost one night near the Fob with several afghan for Salvemini got the sense some thing was looking Over the Edge of the he could see Little Black dots All coming up the scores of enemy fighters were Halfway up the slope by the time he spotted and for once no aircraft appeared to be Able to respond before the outpost was going to be i was this is going to be Over in 10 Salvemini said of the predict but by a pair of Apache helicopters had diverted to the area that Nathan Salvemini in and Salvemini instantly hailed them to he highlighted the fighters with infrared and the helicopters attacked with guns and that quelled the first he Salvemini then called in alos to drop guided bombs below his and he was relieved As the explosions broke up the i was of he when the area was surveyed the next the bodies of More than 60 enemy fighters were he in another a group of about 30 enemy fighters on a Ridge had a group of marines and afghan soldiers pinned Down in a to get at the Salvemini devised a deadly from his position looking Down on the he called artillery rounds onto the Ridge from a nearby firebase to flush the fighters off the they ran Back to a rendezvous Point they knew was out of Range of the howitzers and regrouped in an area Salvemini knew was in Range of a second by the time the enemy had collected near their getaway shells from the second firebase were already in the targeting the rendezvous they kind of looked at each other where did that come from he he timed the artillery strike to hit just seconds before he scheduled two alos to drop guided bombs and rockets on the completing the stories like those Are just Mere samples of Salvemini which also saw him engaged in numerous gun one we got caught up in a pretty Good Twenty dudes opened up on he said of one we came under direct fire in the mid dle of a medical we started getting shot at like he said of another is a Man who continually Steps up to always do the right thing with old school leadership and said senior master Mickey superintendent of the 321st email Ben Murray at