Corporal Jason Dunham USMC, Requiescat in pace.

Here is another of Our Boys you should remember in your prayers.

I'll bet you Corporal Dunham wouldn't say he was a hero. He'd say he was a Marine.

Wellsville Daily Reporter: Parents of Jason Dunham say they can put him to rest now

Scio, NY - Semper Fidelius was shown for Marine Corporal Jason Dunham, when President George W. Bush announced at the dedication of the National Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va., Friday that the Scio Central School graduate would receive “the nation's highest declaration of valor, the Medal of Honor.”

According to the Marines he is only the second military person from Operation Iraqi Freedom to receive the Medal of Honor.

His mother, Deb Dunham, told the Daily Reporter, “Everything is complete now, we can put him to rest completely.”


And from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:
Allegany town is proud of its hero but also feels deep loss

Scio, NY — Residents of this quiet Southern Tier town always knew Jason Dunham was a special boy growing up, someone who enjoyed life, respected others and excelled at baseball, basketball and soccer at Scio High School.

Now the rest of the country knows.On Friday, President Bush announced Cpl. Dunham would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor.

"He was well deserving of the medal," said Dale Young, who co-owns Club Boomers, a restaurant and arcade. "There wasn't anybody who didn't like him. He was gifted with his friendship, wasn't arrogant or conceited. He treated everyone with respect, whether you were young or old."

Dunham, who served with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, was injured April 14, 2004, during an ambush.

He was struggling with an insurgent when he saw a hand grenade roll to the ground. Dunham threw his helmet and his body over the grenade.

The blast caused massive head trauma. He was 22 when he died April 22, 2004, at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

He came home to Allegany County to be buried at Fairlawn Cemetery in Scio. Dog tags from the comrades he saved still hang above his tombstone.

Since his death, his parents, Deb and Dan Dunham, met with the president in Rochester when Bush signed a bill to name the Scio post office after their son.

A room at the Scio Public Library was also named for him.

And he was remembered during the Memorial Day parade, the only annual parade in Scio.

The Dunhams, who heard Bush announce the award Friday on what would have been Jason's 25th birthday, were expected to be in New York City through the weekend, where they're appearing on national news programs.
On Saturday, a red Marine Corps flag flew just under the U.S. flag outside their home. A yellow ribbon was tied around a tree near the road.

Other than Dunham's military picture posted outside The Store on Route 19, there's not a lot that would tell visitors to Scio that a native son was a military hero.

"I don't think it's hit people yet how important it is," Young said. "A lot of people are still reeling from his death."

Carrie Morse, 33, who has known the Dunhams for more than a dozen years, said painful reminders of his death will strike unexpectedly.

"Every school concert, the kids seem to sing a patriotic song and it makes you cry your head off," she said.

Jennifer Crittenden, 24, who went to school with Dunham, said her memories are mixed. She's proud of his heroism but saddened that he has died.

"A lot of people, especially little kids, looked up to him," she said.