The Gift of Valor
A War Story
Michael M. Phillips
- The
- true
- story
- of
- US
- Marine
- Corporal
- Jason
- Dunham's
- brave
- act
- that
- saved
- fellow
- Marines
- and
- earned
- him
- the
- Congressional
- Medal
- of
- Honor.Corporal
- Dunham
- was
- on
- patrol
- near
- the
- Syrian
- border,
- on
- April
- 14,
- 2004,
- when
- a
- black-clad
- Iraqi
- leaped
- out
- of
- a
- car
- and
- grabbed
- him
- around
- his
- neck.
- Fighting
- hand-to-hand
- in
- the
- dirt,
- Dunham
- saw
- his
- attacker
- drop
- a
- grenade
- and
- made
- the
- instantaneous
- decision
- to
- place
- his
- own
- helmet
- over
- the
- explosive
- in
- the
- hope
- of
- containing
- the
- blast
- and
- protecting
- his
- men.
- When
- the
- smoke
- cleared,
- Dunham’s
- helmet
- was
- in
- shreds,
- and
- the
- corporal
- lay
- face
- down
- in
- his
- own
- blood.
- The
- Marines
- beside
- him
- were
- seriously
- wounded.
- Dunham
- was
- subsequently
- nominated
- for
- the
- Congressional
- Medal
- of
- Honor,
- the
- nation’
- s
- highest
- award
- for
- military
- valor.Phillips’s
- minute-by-minute
- chronicle
- of
- the
- chaotic
- fighting
- that
- raged
- throughout
- the
- area
- and
- culminated
- in
- Dunham’s
- injury
- provides
- a
- grunt’s-eye
- view
- of
- war
- as
- it’s
- being
- fought
- today—fear,
- confusion,
- bravery,
- and
- suffering
- set
- against
- a
- brotherhood
- forged
- in
- combat.
- His
- account
- of
- Dunham’s
- eight-day
- journey
- home
- and
- of
- his
- parents’
- heartrending
- reunion
- with
- their
- son
- powerfully
- illustrates
- the
- cold
- brutality
- of
- war
- and
- the
- fragile
- humanity
- of
- those
- who
- fight
- it.
- Dunham
- leaves
- an
- indelible
- mark
- upon
- all
- who
- know
- his
- story,
- from
- the
- doctors
- and
- nurses
- who
- treat
- him,
- to
- the
- readers
- of
- the
- original
- Wall
- Street
- Journal
- article
- that
- told
- of
- his
- singular
- act
- of valor.
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