    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [January 11, 2007]
    [Pages 21-23]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting Posthumously the Congressional Medal of Honor to
    Corporal Jason Dunham
    January 11, 2007

        Welcome to the White House. The Medal of Honor is the highest award
    for valor a President can bestow. The medal is given for gallantry in
    the face of an enemy attack that is above and beyond the call of duty.
    The medal is part of a cherished American tradition that began in this
    house with the signature of President Abraham Lincoln.
        Since World War II, more than half of those who have been awarded
    the Medal of Honor have lost their lives in the action that earned it.
    Corporal Jason Dunham belongs to this select group. On a dusty road in
    western Iraq, Corporal Dunham gave his own life so that the men under
    his command might live. This morning it's my privilege to recognize
    Corporal Dunham's devotion to the Corps and country and to present his
    family with the Medal of Honor.
        I welcome the Vice President's presence;
    Secretary of Defense Bob Gates; Senator Ted
    Stevens; Senator John McCain; Senator Craig Thomas--I
    don't know if you say former marine or marine--marine; Congressman Bill
    Young and his wife Beverly; Congressman Duncan Hunter; Congressman John Kline, marine;
    Congressman Randy Kuhl, Corporal
    Dunham's family's United States Congressman, is with us; Secretary Don
    Winter; General Pete Pace; General Jim Conway and
    Annette; Sergeant Major John
    Estrada, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.
        I appreciate the Medal of Honor recipients who have joined us:
    Barney Barnum, Bob Foley, Bob Howard, Gary
    Littrell, Al Rascon, Brian Thacker. Thanks for
    joining us.
        I appreciate the Dunham family who have joined us and will soon join
    me on this platform to receive the honor on behalf of their son:
    Dan and Deb Dunham; Justin
    Dunham and Kyle Dunham, brothers; Katie Dunham, sister;
    and a lot of other family members who have joined us today.
        I appreciate the Chaplain for the Navy--
    excuse me, for the Marine Corps. I didn't mean to insult you. [Laughter]
        I thank Major Trent Gibson--he was Jason
    Dunham's commander--company commander; First Lieutenant Brian
    Robinson, who was his platoon commander. I
    welcome all the marines from ``Kilo-3-7.'' Thanks for coming, and thanks
    for serving.
        Long before he earned our Nation's highest medal, Jason Dunham made
    himself--made a name for himself among his friends and neighbors. He was
    born in a small town in upstate New York. He was a normal kind of
    fellow. He loved sports. He went to Scio Central School, and he starred
    on the Tiger basketball, soccer, and baseball teams. And by the way, he
    still

    [[Page 22]]

    holds the record for the highest batting average in a single season at
    .414. He was popular with his teammates, and that could be a problem for
    his mom. You see, she never quite knew how many
    people would be showing up for dinner, whether it be her family or the
    entire basketball team.
        He grew up with the riches far more important than money. He had a
    dad who loved to take his boys on a ride with him
    when he made his rounds on the dairy farm where he worked. His
    mom was a school teacher. She figured out the
    best way to improve her son's spelling was to combine his love for
    sports with her ability to educate. And so she taught him the words from
    his reading list when they played the basketball game of ``horse.'' He
    had two brothers and a
    sister who adored him.
        He had a natural gift for leadership and a compassion that led him
    to take others under his wing. The Marine Corps took the best of this
    young man and made it better. As a marine, he was taught that honor,
    courage, and commitment are not just words; they're core values for a
    way of life that elevates service above self. As a marine, Jason was
    taught that leaders put the needs of their men before their own. He was
    taught that while America's founding truths are self-evident, they also
    need to be defended by good men and women willing to stand up to
    determined enemies.
        As a leader of a rifle squad in Iraq, Corporal Dunham lived by the
    values he had been taught. He was a guy everybody looked up to. He was a
    marine's marine who led by example. He was the kind of person who would
    stop patrols to play street soccer with the Iraqi schoolchildren. He was
    the guy who signed on for an extra 2 months in Iraq so he could stay
    with his squad. As he explained it, he wanted to ``make sure that
    everyone makes it home alive.'' Corporal Dunham took that promise
    seriously and would give his own life to make it good.
        In April 2004, during an attack near Iraq's Syrian border, Corporal
    Dunham was assaulted by an insurgent who jumped out of a vehicle that
    was about to be searched. As Corporal Dunham wrestled the man to the
    ground, the insurgent rolled out a grenade he had been hiding. Corporal
    Dunham did not hesitate. He jumped on the grenade, using his helmet and
    body to absorb the blast. Although he survived the initial explosion, he
    did not survive his wounds. But by his selflessness, Corporal Dunham
    saved the lives of two of his men and showed the world what it means to be a marine.
        Deb Dunham calls the Marine Corps her son's
    second family, and she means that literally. Deb describes her son's
    relationship to his men this way: ``Jay was part guardian angel, part
    big brother, and all marine.'' She remembers her son calling from the
    barracks and then passing the phone to one of his marines, saying,
    ``I've got a guy here who just needs to talk to a mom.'' Now it's the
    marines who comfort her. On special days like Christmas or Mother's Day
    or her birthday, Deb has learned the day will not pass without one of
    Jason's fellow marines calling to check on her.
        With this medal, we pay tribute to the courage and leadership of a
    man who represents the best of young Americans. With this medal, we ask
    the God who commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves to wrap His
    arms around the family of Corporal Jason Dunham, a marine who is not
    here today because he lived that commandment to the fullest.
        I now invite the
    Dunhams to
    join me on the stage. And, Colonel, please read the citation.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:55 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Annette Conway, wife of Gen. James
    T. Conway, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps; and Rear Adm. Alan T.
    Baker, USN, Chaplain of the Marine Corps. Following the President's
    remarks, Lt. Col. Thomas McCarthy, Air Force

    [[Page 23]]

    Aide to the President, read the citation. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.