President Bush has confirmed that Corporal Jason L. Dunham will receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions that saved two of his Marines. Corporal Dunham’s actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

Around 12:15 p.m., Cpl. Dunham’s team came to an intersection and saw a line of seven Iraqi vehicles along a dirt alleyway, according to Staff Sgt. Ferguson and others there. At Staff Sgt. Ferguson’s instruction, they started checking the vehicles for weapons.

Cpl. Dunham approached a run-down white Toyota Land Cruiser. The driver, an Iraqi in a black track suit and loafers, immediately lunged out and grabbed the corporal by the throat, according to men at the scene. Cpl. Dunham kneed the man in the chest, and the two tumbled to the ground.

Two other Marines rushed to the scene. Private First Class Kelly Miller, 21, of Eureka, Calif., ran from the passenger side of the vehicle and put a choke hold around the man’s neck. But the Iraqi continued to struggle, according to a military report Pfc. Miller gave later. Lance Cpl. William B. Hampton, 22, of Woodinville, Wash., also ran to help.
as held in his school gymnasium. His casket sat beneath a basketball hoop. The gym was the largest place in the area that could hold the crowd that was expected, a crowd that turned out to be 1,500 strong.

Some 500 Marines, sailors and soldiers came to the funeral to honor Jason. Residents of the town lined the sidewalks and sat on their porches as the procession drove by. The town hung an American flag above the highway, and yellow ribbons were everywhere.

Jason’s high school basketball coach Matt Moretti was not surprised that Jason threw himself on a live grenade to protect his colleagues:

“To be honest with you, my first thought was, ‘I wish he hadn’t.’ Because then we wouldn’t have lost him. But knowing Jason, it wasn’t even an option.”
Scio Spanish teacher Darcy Fuller remembers him as a hero before he entered the Marines:

“He’s a hero to a lot of the kids. He was their hero even before he put on a uniform.â€?

Scio social studies teacher Judy Consedine remembers him when she visited his home:

“He was only about 5 years old. He came up from under the table and presented me with some chocolate chip cookies. He flashed a smile that I will never forget. It lit up the room.â€?

And, central to Jason’s character, Scio teacher Chick Casagrand said this:

“He was very caring in the classroom. In the classroom, if someone was struggling, he was the first one to offer help.â€?

Vickey Layton is Jason’s aunt, shown in the foreground, lower left in this photo. She lives on Rochester, New York, to the north. She set up a memorial to Jason on the porch of her green home on Blossom Road. Jason’s photo was there above pink roses, below American and Marine Corps flags and between two yellow ribbons. People go by, some stare, and some honk their horns.

One 5-year old boy, Sean Ladwig, contributed a crayon drawing after seeing the memorial with his parents. On the front of the paper card he drew an American flag and wrote, in a 5-year old’s script:

“Marines keep me safe.�

Inside the card is a self-portrait of Sean with the words:

“Thank you for my freedom.�

Jason inspired many people; so many that he was named the Most Inspiring Person of the Year in 2004 by website Beliefnet. He also touched the lives of a Marine he served with, Gunnery Sergeant Adam Walker, and a Marine who served in Khe Sanh, Neil Kenny. Please watch the following video for accounts from both Marines.

God bless Corporal Jason L. Dunham and his family. I leave you with the Jason Dunham Memorial website, and a photo gallery courtesy Marine Corps News.

Update: I have edited the dedication video to this four minute portion where President Bush speaks about Corporal Dunham and then announces the Medal of Honor.