“No, no, no — watch his hand!”

• the last words of Medal of Honor recipient Jason Dunham

Born on November 10, 1981, Jason L. Dunham graduated from high school, enlisted in the Marines, and by early 2004 was a corporal in Iraq, serving with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

On the morning of April 14, 2004, the 6-foot-1 squad leader from Scio, New York was leading a 14-man patrol when word came down that a Marine convoy had been hit by an ambush.

Racing to the site of the attack in Humvees, Cpl. Dunham and his men jumped out of their vehicles, split into two groups, and began searching for insurgents.

Minutes later, the hard-charging corporal, who had extended his time in Iraq because he “wanted to make sure everyone made it home alive,” was on the ground fighting hand-to-hand with an Iraqi insurgent.

With Marines rushing to Dunham’s rescue, the corporal yelled, “No, no, no — watch his hand!” The insurgent was holding a hand grenade and had pulled the pin.

As the explosive dropped to the ground, Dunham, without hesitation, jumped on the grenade, absorbing the full impact of the blast with his Kevlar helmet and body and saving the lives of the two Marines near him.

Cpl. Dunham, barely alive, was evacuated to a military surgical hospital in Baghdad and eventually sent to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where he remained in a coma for eight days. He died on April 22, 2004, after being taken off life support.

Just moments before Dunham’s death, his parents, who had stayed by their eldest son’s side throughout his time at Bethesda, watched as General Michael Hagee, the US Marine Corps Commandant, pinned the Purple Heart on their son’s pillow.

For his “undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty,” Cpl. Dunham was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first Marine since the Vietnam War to receive America’s highest award for valor.

Postscript:
On August 1, 2009, Sgt. Bill Hampton and Cpl. Kelley Miller, the two Marines saved by Cpl. Dunham on April 14, were on hand for the christening of the USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer named in honor of the man who had sacrificed his life for his buddies.

“The greatness of his sacrifice is impossible to describe with words,” Miller said. “He gave his life for mine.”

Former Marine Commandant Michael Hagee said in reference to Dunham’s heroic actions, “They are willing to give up everything that is important: love, marriage, children, family and friends.”

Today we pay tribute to Jason Dunham, his family, and all those who have served, sacrificed, and died in Iraq. We will never forget you!