McGinnis, Ricky L.

Ricky L. McGinnis

Hamilton, Ohio

Feather Location: Row H, #22

Associated  Press

Ricky L. McGinnis served in the same unit as his nephew, Pvt. 2nd Class Joey Isaacs. "All we ever talked about was going to Iraq," said Isaacs. "He said it was going to be a long year, but we were going to get through it. Whenever I needed him he was always there." McGinnis, 42, of Hamilton, Ohio, died Oct. 26 in Balad of injuries sustained when an explosive detonated near his patrol in Muqdadiyah. He was assigned to Fort Hood. McGinnis' sister, Rhonda Isaacs, said that during her last conversation with her brother, McGinnis told her he was doing everything he could to get Joey home safe. "Joey looked up to my brother. He was his hero. Ricky was going to make sure nothing happened to Joey," said Rhonda Isaacs. The 1983 high school graduate entered the Army when he was 18. He also is survived by his wife, Kerstin, and daughters Julia, Laura, Melissa and Nina. "He was an all-around good guy," said his niece, Nicole LeFevre. "He said he was going to go to Iraq and just get the job done. He was totally about just getting over there and doing his job and worrying about the men he supervised."

Carver:  Ron Oros of Grafton, Ohio is retired from BASF and worked in the chemical industry. Ron Started carving about the same time he retired (2011). Ron carves with the Great Lakes Wood Carvers in Parma.

Wood:  Basswood