05/25/2004 Entry: ""
Posted by Maynard @ 12:53 PM MST
Sacrifice
Suppose you are a troop in Iraq. It's a dangerous environment, where situations have a tendency to explode in your face, literally. You'd want to protect yourself, so you'd requisition (if you didn't already have) a flak vest and helmet, as well as other critical gear. You'd keep that helmet on, since you'd want to protect yourself.
Corporal Jason Dunham, USMC, didn't.
While assisting a Marine unit that had been ambushed, Corporal Jason approached an apparent Iraqi civilian in a vehicle. The civilian, who was actually a terrorist, grabbed Corporal Jason by the throat. In the ensuing struggle, the terrorist pulled the pin on a grenade and the grenade came loose. Jason Dunham took his kevlar helmet off, threw it over the grenade, and threw himself onto the helmet.
He took three pieces of shrapnel to the brain.
He took eight days to die.
The shrapnel also wounded two other Marines who had come to his assistance in the struggle, as well as the terrorist (who ended up shot to death). All three Marines were medevaced to safety of a field hospital. Corporal Jason was treated and sent off to the Baghdad surgical unit, where doctors did what they could. He was later transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where his parents came to see him, as well as the Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. They pinned on his Purple Heart. Corporal Jason had left specific instructions and authority with his father, who instructed the doctors to remove the life support after his kidneys and lungs began to fail.
He was twenty two.
He has been recommended for the Medal of Honor, and rightly deserves it, having laid down his life in such a selfless way.
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13
A collection of relevant stories.
26May2004, 1625 MST: I Love Jet Noise violates some copyrights by posting the entire Wall Street Journal article, which I read yesterday and which inspired this post.
1104 MST 13Oct2004: Found the USMC archive of the WSJ story, and a picture:
Semper Fi, Jason.
Replies: 
(2)
Sorry, Lord, we needed him more. You have lots of bright lights up there, here we need all we can get. His family needed him more - especially them and his friends. Everyone has lost way too much.
Bless all who had the priveledge of knowing him.
Posted by Erin Damron @ 10/29/2004 09:24 AM MST
The American people are truly blessed to have heros such as this man. May God continue to bless America and the American people.
Posted by M Philip @ 12/03/2004 03:33 AM MST
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