[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 2 (Monday, January 15, 2007)]
[Pages 23-25]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

[[Page 24]]

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 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

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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. Robert F. 
Burt, USN, Chaplain of the Marine Corps. Following the President's 
remarks, Lt. Col. Thomas McCarthy, Air Force Aide to the President, read 
the citation. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.