Congressional Medal of Honor

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I know this happened last year but I just heard about it now and wanted to share.

22 year old Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham is being considered for the Medal of Honor. When I heard his story on the radio tonight, it put me in tears. Here is the story:

Jason Dunham stepped into the role of protector long before he ever donned a Marine uniform.
As a teenager, he put himself between a friend and an adversary to protect his buddy during a fight. As a brother, he would warn his little sister to watch out for boys. As a man, he dreamed of becoming a state trooper — so long as work didn’t take him too far from home, where he could keep an eye on those he loved most.

Dunham died as he had lived, said the minister at his burial last May: “Caring more for others than himself.”
He has been nominated for the Medal of Honor, given for extraordinary valor without regard to one’s safety.

On April 14, Dunham, 22, was on a mission with his Marine unit in the Iraqi town of Karabiliah when reports came in of an insurgent attack against another group of Marines nearby. Dunham’s team went in search of the perpetrators in an attempt to stop the attack. When they came upon a line of Iraqi vehicles, the team checked each one. One vehicle’s driver, an Iraqi, lunged out of the driver’s side, grabbed Dunham by the throat and he and Dunham wrestled to the ground. Other Marines at the scene rushed to help, but one heard Dunham yell, “No, no, no—watch his hand!” The Iraqi was holding a hand grenade, which was on a hair trigger. When the insurgent released the grenade, Dunham threw his helmet and his body over the weapon, taking the brunt of the explosion.

He died a week later at a U.S. hospital, his parents by his side. His mother, Deb, held one hand. His father, Dan, clasped the other. “He never opened his eyes,” his mother said.

Dunham is among several Americans in the Iraq war who gave their lives to save another. Marine Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, 23, of Beaver Dam, Wis., drowned after he jumped into a canal to rescue victims of a helicopter crash. Army Sgt. Jaror Puello-Coronado, 36, of Pocono Summit, Pa., was hit by an out-of-control truck after he pushed another soldier out of its path.

Dunham is the first person in this conflict to be recommended for the nation’s highest military honor, according to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. In a letter asking President Bush to approve the Medal of Honor nomination, Schumer noted that Dunham’s “unbelievable bravery and selflessness” saved the lives of at least two other Marines.

“I can imagine no clearer a case of an individual soldier exhibiting the ideals that the Congressional Medal was established to honor.”

Dunham’s mother says they were ideals her son displayed all his life. “He was a hero before this,” she said. “It didn’t take this for us to find that out.” — Associated Press

I did some homework on the Congressional Medal of Honor:

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress, it is often called the Congressional Medal of Honor.

From my research, a Medal of Honor hasn't been awarded since 1993 when Randy Shugart and Gary Gordon received Medals of Honor for their actions in the Blackhawk Down incident. If I am wrong, then please correct me. I have tried to find out if President Bush did award it to Dunham but was unsuccessful.

God Bless our men and women in the Armed Forces who are fighting abroad to keep us safe here at home. Merry Christmas