Hero's Welcome Awaits Cinnaminson Soldier

(DISCLAIMER: This event is a surprise for the returning soldier. So don't ruin it!)

A Cinnaminson family will get to welcome home their soldier son this weekend just in time for Thanksgiving.

U.S. Army Pfc. Ryan McGinnis will return to his Andover Drive home Saturday afternoon, and the community is invited to attend so McGinnis can get the properly rousing welcome he deserves.

"The more the merrier, the merrier the louder, the louder the better," said David Silver, of Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey, a local nonprofit that collects donations for troops and organizes "welcome home" events for returning members of the military.

McGinnis, 21, a 2011 graduate of Cinnaminson High School, is returning from a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan, where he served as a combat engineer, according to information provided by Yellow Ribbon. His most recent duties were in route clearance (i.e. bomb detection).

He joined the Army in May 2012.

McGinnis' mother, Terry, said her son hasn't been home since January. And though he'll only be home for about a week before he has to return to Fort Hood (Texas), where he's stationed, she said it means the world to have him home for the holiday.

"The timing of it is just perfect," said Terry, adding that her son will be back again for Christmas, then return to Fort Hood at the beginning of next year.

She said she was initially hesitant about arranging for the welcome celebration—"Ryan's not really one for a lot of attention"—but had a change of heart after attending another Yellow Ribbon event.

"It is very sincere, supportive, and heartfelt," she said. "They do a wonderful job."

McGinnis's plane lands in Philadelphia around 12:45 p.m. Saturday and he is expected to arrive home around 1:15/1:30. He will be escorted to the house by Warriors' Watch Riders, a motorcycle escort that leads returning soldiers home in style.

Cinnaminson's last "welcome home" celebration for a member of the military was in July 2011, when '07 graduate Michael Forgash Jr. returned from a yearlong deployment as an Army medic in Iraq.

The McGinnis' home is located at 2207 Andover Road. His estimated time of arrival is around 1:15 p.m.