For a Marine, answering the call of duty is to place others before self, and to defend the values of the United States of America, no matter the cost. Oftentimes, the sacrifices involved are immeasurable. All servicemen and women put their lives on the line for the greater good. One such example of heroic selflessness is Cpl. Jason Dunham.
Dunham, a squad leader in the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, chose to extend his enlistment so he could stay with his squad throughout its tour in the war zone. Cpl. Dunham had said "I want to make sure all of my men make it home alive."
On April 14, 2005, Dunham was in the town of Karabilah, Iraq, leading a 14-man patrol on a reconnaissance mission when they received radio reports that a roadside bomb had exploded nearby where another group of Marines were scouting. Immediately after the explosive went off, insurgents converged on the area, surrounding the Marines.
Hearing gunfire, Dunham and his squad rushed over to help suppress the attack. As they neared the area, they heard the whizzing sound above of an RPG narrowly missing their convoy. Dunham instructed his Marines to leave the vehicles behind and split up. He led a team a few blocks south of the immediate ambush site and ordered his squad to block seven vehicles attempting to leave. Dunham began inspecting the vehicles, one by one.
Without warning, the driver of a run-down Toyota Land Cruiser burst out of the vehicle, and grabbed Dunham by the neck. Dunham fought the enemy in hand-to-hand combat while two Marines saw their squad leader struggling, and moved in to help. Dunham noticed that the enemy fighter had a grenade in his hand, and ordered his Marines to move back as he wrestled the insurgent to the ground. As the fighting continued he screamed a warning to his Marines: “No, no, no – watch his hand!”
Without hesitating Dunham took off his Kevlar helmet, covered the grenade with it, and threw himself on top to supress the blast.
Pfc. Kelly Miller, one of the two Marines who was saved by Dunham’s quick and selfless act, later told author of the book A Gift of Valor, Michael Phillips: “Cpl. Dunham was in the middle of the explosion. If it was not for him, none of us would be here. He took the impact of the explosion.”
The hard, molded mesh that was Dunham’s Kevlar helmet was scattered all around the site of the explosion – an image that serves as a reminder of his bravery on that day.
On Jan. 11, 2007, Dunham was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration of the United States. He is the second serviceman and the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in the Global War on Terror. The Department of Navy announced March 23, 2007 that the Navy's newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), honoring the late Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
