Marine to Receive Medal of Honor for Heroism in Iraq
By Staff Sgt. Scott Dunn, USMC Special to American Forces Press Service
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2087
QUANTICO, Va., Nov. 10, 2006 – A Marine corporal who died shielding men in his care from a bursting grenade will receive America’s highest military decoration, President Bush said here today.
Actions by Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who would have turned 25 today, merit the Medal of Honor, Bush said at the National Museum of the Marine Corps dedication ceremony, which coincided with the 231st Marine Corps anniversary.
On April 14, 2004, in Iraq near the Syrian border, the corporal used his helmet and his body to smother an exploding Mills bomb let loose by a raging insurgent whom Dunham and two other Marines had tried to subdue.
The explosion dazed and wounded Lance Cpl. William Hampton and Pfc. Kelly Miller. The insurgent stood up after the blast and was immediately killed by Marine small-arms fire.
Dunham lay face down with a shard the size of a dress-shirt button lodged in his head. The hard, molded mesh that was his Kevlar helmet was now scattered yards around into clods and shredded fabric. Dunham never regained consciousness and died eight days later at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., with his mother and father at his bedside.
Dunham’s commanding officers from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, investigated his actions and nominated him for the Medal of Honor. After two years and seven months making its way to the White House, the nomination now has the necessary approval from the president. Next, the president will present the medal and citation to the corporal’s parents, Dan and Debra Dunham, who drove to Quantico from their home in Scio, N.Y. Dunham is buried in Scio.
“Corporal Dunham's mom and dad are with us today on what would have been this brave young man's 25th birthday,” Bush said. “We remember that the Marine who so freely gave his life was your beloved son. We ask a loving God to comfort you for a loss that can never be replaced. And on this special birthday, in the company of his fellow Marines, I'm proud to announce that our nation will recognize Corporal Jason Dunham's action with America's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor.
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By Staff Sgt. Scott Dunn, USMC Special to American Forces Press Service
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2087
QUANTICO, Va., Nov. 10, 2006 – A Marine corporal who died shielding men in his care from a bursting grenade will receive America’s highest military decoration, President Bush said here today.
Actions by Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who would have turned 25 today, merit the Medal of Honor, Bush said at the National Museum of the Marine Corps dedication ceremony, which coincided with the 231st Marine Corps anniversary.
On April 14, 2004, in Iraq near the Syrian border, the corporal used his helmet and his body to smother an exploding Mills bomb let loose by a raging insurgent whom Dunham and two other Marines had tried to subdue.
The explosion dazed and wounded Lance Cpl. William Hampton and Pfc. Kelly Miller. The insurgent stood up after the blast and was immediately killed by Marine small-arms fire.
Dunham lay face down with a shard the size of a dress-shirt button lodged in his head. The hard, molded mesh that was his Kevlar helmet was now scattered yards around into clods and shredded fabric. Dunham never regained consciousness and died eight days later at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., with his mother and father at his bedside.
Dunham’s commanding officers from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, investigated his actions and nominated him for the Medal of Honor. After two years and seven months making its way to the White House, the nomination now has the necessary approval from the president. Next, the president will present the medal and citation to the corporal’s parents, Dan and Debra Dunham, who drove to Quantico from their home in Scio, N.Y. Dunham is buried in Scio.
“Corporal Dunham's mom and dad are with us today on what would have been this brave young man's 25th birthday,” Bush said. “We remember that the Marine who so freely gave his life was your beloved son. We ask a loving God to comfort you for a loss that can never be replaced. And on this special birthday, in the company of his fellow Marines, I'm proud to announce that our nation will recognize Corporal Jason Dunham's action with America's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor.
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