“It all started because the lawnmower ran out of gas,” said Maj. Trent A. Gibson, the executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, with a chuckle. “If the lawnmower hadn’t run out of gas, I would have never heard the phone ring.”

The voice he heard upon answering was that of a Marine recruiter, explaining what the Marine Corps had to offer the young man from Piedmont, Okla. Neither could imagine the future that Gibson would experience as he enlisted to become one of the few, the proud and the brave.

After twenty-two years as one of the few, Gibson experienced true pride in having served among the undeniably brave.

In the dangerous city of Karabilah, Iraq on April 14, 2004, Gibson, then a captain and the commander of Company K, 3rd Bn,, 7th Marines, went on patrol with his men of 2nd Squad, 4th Platoon.

WHO WAS JASON DUNHAM?
The carefully chosen squad leader for 2nd Squad was a 22-year-old corporal from the small town of Scio, N.Y., by the name of Jason Dunham.

“Cpl. Dunham was the quintessential Marine,” Gibson said. “He was the square-jawed, muscular all-American man you envision when someone says Marine. He had the character to back up his looks, too. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body.”

He earned respect from his men by example, not by intimidation, Gibson said of his leadership style.

“Cpl. Dunham was the kind of guy you would want your daughter to bring home,” he added.

During the patrol, their battalion commander’s convoy was ambushed nearby. Dunham led his Marines south of the ambushed convoy when vehicles began to flee the scene. As the Marines prepared to stop the vehicles, an Iraqi clad in black jumped from a white sport utility vehicle and attempted to choke Dunham. During the scuffle that ensued, the Iraqi dropped a hand grenade.

THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
Cpl. Dunham didn’t falter.

In his last conscious act he threw his Kevlar helmet – then himself – on the grenade, absorbing the blast and saving the lives of his fellow Marines who were nearby.

When the smoke cleared, Dunham lay unconscious on the hard dirt road. His Kevlar ripped into two major pieces and countless shreds by the explosion.

When Gibson arrived on scene, he inspected the small cache of weapons retrieved from the vehicles and noticed a piece of Dunham’s Kevlar leaning against the wall of a nearby building. Once he realized what exactly he had found, he and the Marines in the area scoured the street for any scraps of the Kevlar they could find.

Five years have passed since Dunham’s selfless sacrifice to save the lives of his fellow Marines earned him the Medal of Honor and a Navy destroyer bearing his name.

THE DECISION TO DISPLAY
For five years the pieces of Dunham’s Kevlar were stored within the 7th Marine Regiment–until Gibson began collaborating with Deb and Dan Dunham, Cpl. Dunham’s parents, on the proper way to preserve the history of the helmet.

The three of them had to decide either to donate the helmet to the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va., to display the helmet on the quarterdeck of the USS Jason Dunham along with his dress blue uniform, seal the entire thing in the destroyer’s mast or simply to bury it.

“At first we were a little uneasy about the notion of displaying it, due to the graphic nature of the object,” Gibson said. “But I mainly didn’t want the significance of the helmet to become lost. It isn’t just Marine Corps property; it was spiritually transformed to a part of the Marine Corps’ living history.”

Eventually they concluded the best way to ensure the legacy of the Kevlar and the history it represents was to donate most of the helmet to the museum, but to save a single shred to be forever sealed in the mast of the ship that bears Dunham’s name.

Gibson contacted Lin Ezell, the director of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, and coordinated to deliver the helmet to the museum during the same weekend the ship’s Mast-Stepping ceremony was being held.

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
As Gibson made his way from the Combat Center to the Marine Corps Museum, he carried with him a simple, locked black case with the combination 0-4-2 which represented Cpl. Dunham’s radio call sign of Kilo 4-2.

The case, which was never out of Gibson’s sight, attracted the attention of curious passengers throughout the trip. Gibson left each inquiring commuter with a new memory as he told them the story of what the simple black case held.

Within the first hour of arriving in Washington, D.C., July 9, Gibson made his way to the Marine Corps War Memorial and spent more than an hour sitting on the steps carefully examining the fragments of Dunham’s helmet-pieces he helped collect from the streets of Karabilah.

THE HANDOVER
After ensuring all the pieces were accounted for, he changed into his desert utility uniform and drove to Marine Corps Base Quantico to pick up Sgt. Mark Dean, one of Cpl. Dunham’s close friends and an Owasso, Okla., native, and the pair made the final leg of the journey to the museum together.

As they entered, they were greeted by Ezell and Owen Conner, the uniforms curator at the museum, and escorted upstairs to complete the exchange. Once upstairs, Gibson recounted the story and shared with the small audience the importance the helmet carried with it.

Once Gibson showed what each piece was and how the puzzle fit together, Gibson and Dean deliberated on which piece of the helmet would be appropriate to bring to the USS Jason Dunham to be forever capsulated in the destroyer’s mast.

TOAST TO A HERO
After ensuring the helmet was in competent hands, the history would be displayed for generations to come, and an appropriate piece had been set aside, the group went to the museum’s “Tun Tavern” and shared a toast.

“It’s been a while,” Dean said emotionally.

“It’s been five damn years,” Gibson replied. “Five damn years.”

After their glasses were drained and their stories shared, Gibson and Dean parted ways once again with promises of reunions to come. They parted with the Kevlar that Cpl. Jason Dunham used to selflessly save his fellow Marines’ lives – but not with Dunham. He will live with them forever in spirit and history.

DVIDS
Story by Pfc. Michael Gams

I’ve done some rearranging of categories to put all the posts directly related to the three Medal of Honor winners in the War on Terror into one category. WOT-Medal of Honor

Citations:

*DUNHAM, JASON L.

Rank and Organization: Corporal, United States Marine Corps
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Rifle Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Combat Team 7, First Marine Division (Reinforced), on 14 April 2004. Corporal Dunham’s squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in the town of Karabilah, Iraq, when they heard rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire erupt approximately two kilometers to the west. Corporal Dunham led his Combined Anti-Armor Team towards the engagement to provide fire support to their Battalion Commander’s convoy, which had been ambushed as it was traveling to Camp Husaybah. As Corporal Dunham and his Marines advanced, they quickly began to receive enemy fire. Corporal Dunham ordered his squad to dismount their vehicles and led one of his fire teams on foot several blocks south of the ambushed convoy. Discovering seven Iraqi vehicles in a column attempting to depart, Corporal Dunham and his team stopped the vehicles to search them for weapons. As they approached the vehicles, an insurgent leaped out and attacked Corporal Dunham. Corporal Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground and in the ensuing struggle saw the insurgent release a grenade. Corporal Dunham immediately alerted his fellow Marines to the threat. Aware of the imminent danger and without hesitation, Corporal Dunham covered the grenade with his helmet and body, bearing the brunt of the explosion and shielding his Marines from the blast. In an ultimate and selfless act of bravery in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of at least two fellow Marines. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty, Corporal Dunham gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

*SMITH, PAUL R.

Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class, United States Army
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq on 4 April 2003. On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith’s extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division “Rock of the Marne,” and the United States Army.

There are more coming, and more deserved. It’s probably a safe assumption that they will come from the ranks of those awarded Silver Stars.

Dan and Deb Dunham, of Scio, N.Y., read their son’s memorial following the barracks dedication in honor of Cpl. Jason L. Dunham at Naval Submarine Base King’s Bay. Dunham was mortally wounded by a grenade during an encounter with insurgents in Iraq in April, 2004, and posthumously received the Medal of Honor on Jan. 11, 2007. Dunham was assigned to the security force company at King’s Bay from 2001 to 2003.

Photographer: Seaman Dmitry Chepusov, Navy Visual News Service

R News

A Navy Destroyer will bear the name of the Allegany County Marine killed in Iraq two years ago.

The Navy’s newest Guided Missile Destroyer, DDG-109 will be named the USS JASON DUNHAM.

Dunham is the Marine Corporal from Scio who died battling insurgents in Iraq in April, 2004. Dunham dove on a grenade and saved the lives of other Marines.

Dunham became the first Marine in the Iraq War to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor.

His parents, sister and brother received the medal in his honor from President Bush in January.

Secretary of the Navy Donald Winters will take part in a naming ceremony for the Destroyer Friday in Scio.

Newsday

The Navy will name its newest guided missile destroyer the USS Jason Dunham, New York lawmakers said Tuesday. A formal ceremony in Scio with Navy Secretary Donald Winters is scheduled for Friday.

Sen. Charles Schumer called the destroyer naming “another fitting tribute to his life and humbling heroism.”

Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-Hammondsport, whose district includes Scio, said the destroyer will be another way to ensure that “Jason and his heroic, selfless acts will long be remembered.”

The Dunham will be an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, one of the deadliest warships afloat.

Reactions from:

Jason’s Mom

“I wanted him here, and I didn’t have him,” Deb Dunham said Thursday, following the ceremony to award her son the Medal of Honor. [snip] Deb Dunham said Jason did not write many letters while he was overseas, but often picked up the phone to talk to his family. In fact, President George W. Bush, during the ceremony, recalled a story he heard about Dunham when the Scio native handed the phone to a fellow Marine, saying “I’ve got a guy here who just need to talk to a mom.”

Deb Dunham also talked about the support and compassion her hometown has given her family since Jason’s death.

“They’ve watched over our home and our kids,” Deb Dunham said. “This entire journey hasn’t stopped since we got the call that Jason was injured.”

A Navy doc who treated Jason

The family and guests were bused to the ceremony on three Marine Corps buses that bore the eerie shadows of stony-faced Marines on their one-way windows that were easier to see out of, than into.

“It’s the impression the Marines want to make,” said Navy Commander Heidi Kraft.

A California girl, Kraft who is in the mental health field, was on duty at the military hospital near Karabilah, Iraq when Dunham was brought in.

“Heidi is an angel. I think she is the only reason Jason got back, because she talked to him and gave him the will to get back to us like he promised,” said Deb Dunham of the woman who has become a family friend.

Kraft said she was honored to be at the ceremony, and asked to have her photo taken with two Medal of Honor recipients who were in attendance. Hundreds of soldiers passed through the hospital but Jason is the one she remembers.

“Rule number one is that young men die in war. Rule number two is that doctors can’t do anything about it,” she said quoting from the popular television show MASH. Kraft has written a book, originally for her children, about her experience in Iraq. “They’re only four now, and they don’t even remember that I was gone. But I want them to know about why their mother was gone for eight months, and some day they’ll want to know,” she reasons.

Little and Brown is publishing the book “Rule No. 2” in October; there is a chapter about Dunham.

Jason Dunham’s coach

Dunham was a friend to everybody except opposing pitchers. A .414 average is impressive enough. So is Dunham’s MVP from that 2000 Scio baseball team. The six-foot Dunham is a decorated champion, but it his actions in Iraq weren’t the first signs of greatness.

“I never would have doubted that he would have done something like that,” said Dunham’s former soccer coach and current Friendship coach, Al Barber.

Barber was not surprised when he heard that Scio’s goal leader in 2000 had given his life placing a helmet over a live grenade to save the lives of two fellow soldiers. The veteran soccer coach had seen Dunham – a striker – displaying the same qualities on the pitch for two years.

“I used an analogy of a woodchuck in the road for my soccer players,” said Barber. “The woodchuck can’t hesitate while crossing the street and neither can a soccer player. That was the first thing I thought of when I heard the news.”

Dunham’s reflexes were not his only qualities to benefit him in every sport he pursued. A local star by his senior year, Dunham wasn’t required to mentor the youth around him. Nobody told him to go the extra mile to make sure the freshman were comfortable on the field. Dunham’s inner-goodness naturally lent itself to bringing the younger guys up to speed.

“He went to talk to the younger kids,” Moretti explained. “Not a lot of the kids do that. He had younger brothers and sisters. I think that always reminded him of what it was like being in that sit uation. He would go talk to the freshman and sophomores. He’d even sit in the stands with them.”

“A lot of people seem to say he was best at baseball,” said Martin. “I thought he was an all-around athlete. He may have shined a lot more in baseball. He was one of those God-gifted kids that could do anything he set his mind to.”

Even those who weren’t necessarily his teammates looked up to Dunham.

“My two sons,” added Moretti. “Matt a junior and Joe a freshman, were ball boys back when I coached. They used to draw pictures of him playing. They loved him, too. They were as hurt as everyone else was.”

Pols speak out

Schumer and Clinton pressed for Dunham to be awarded the Medal of Honor and Schumer wrote a letter to the president after his death, recommending Dunham receives the medal.

“Corporal Dunham unflinchingly gave what Lincoln deemed ‘the last full measure of devotion’ and his heroism reflects the true spirit of selflessness, leadership, and courage that the Medal of Honor was established to recognize,” Schumer said. “Corporal Dunham laid down his life by shielding members of his unit from danger by throwing himself on a live grenade, an act of unbelievable bravery and selflessness that saved the lives of at least two fellow Marines.” [snip] “Today’s ceremony was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve had in my time in Washington, if not my life,” said Rep. John R. “Randy” Kuhl, R-Hammondsport. “The Dunhams are an amazing family and they have been through so much. The East Room of The White House was full of soldiers, sailors, veterans, government officials, and friends and family of the Dunhams including many from Allegany County.”

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, also met with reporters after the ceremony and said a few words about Dunham.

“It’s always a very moving experience,” McCain said. “It reminds us all what is at stake and the sacrifice Americans have made.”

State Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, said Dunham’s family reflects his strength.

“He represents the values that we hold dear in the Southern Tier and everyone is truly grateful for his sacrifice,” Young said.