Daily Reporter
Fri Jul 31, 2009, 10:34 AM EDT
BATH, Maine -
BATH, Maine — Saturday is Cpl. Jason Dunham Day in Allegany County, as proclaimed by county Board of Legislators Chairman Curtis Crandall. However, it is only one of several honors given to the fallen hero. Saturday also marks the christening of the USS Jason Dunham DDG 109 in Bath, Maine.
When Cpl. Jason Dunham passed away in April 2004, a new chapter began in his life’s story, albeit a posthumous one. As a result, Dunham’s memory will live on through the Scio library, the post office, and his brothers and sisters serving aboard the USS Jason Dunham.On Saturday, his mother, Debra Dunham, will break a bottle of champagne over the hull of the USS Jason Dunham, following a long Navy tradition.
Dunham was awarded the highest honor for an American military man when, on Jan. 11, 2007, President George W. Bush presented the Marine’s family with the Congressional Medal of Honor. It was presented in a special ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C. Dunham was the second American to receive the Medal of Honor from service in Iraq, and the first Marine to receive the honor since the Vietnam War. In his hometown of Scio he has been honored with a room in his name in the new library located on Main Street and by the local post office which, shortly after his death, was officially renamed in his honor.
Now, the men and women who serve aboard the USS Jason Dunham will wear a patch of the ship’s crest on their uniforms which represents the sacrifice made by Dunham.
A press release from the Bath Iron Works restates the facts surrounding Dunham’s act of heroism.“On April 14, 2004, Squad Leader Cpl. Jason Dunham‘s squad was on patrol in Karabilah, Iraq when they heard the explosions of an ambush on their Battalion Commander’s convoy. ... Jason’s squad boarded Humvees and headed to the rescue. In that hunt they encountered a group of Iraqi vehicles, and stopped to check them out.” Jim DeMartini, manager of communications for the Bath Iron Works, recently said in a press release, “It was there that his fatal encounter with the attackers occurred. We’re very excited about this ship and very pleased to be honoring the sacrifice of Jason Dunham in this way.”DeMartini explained the poignant symbolism on the patch.
“In the middle of the crest there is a helmet of antiquity, which symbolizes Dunham’s sacrifice of his life to protect his troops. The helmet of antiquity recalls the incident of enemy attack on Dunham’s squad, during which he used his helmet to contain a grenade and covered it with his body to protect his squad at the cost of his own life."
The colors, dark blue and gold, represent the United States Navy, while the purple detail on the helmet refers to the Purple Heart medal awarded to Dunham. The eagle, globe and anchor is the insignia of the United States Marine Corps and the inverted mullet symbolizes the Medal of Honor.”After Saturday’s christening, the USS Jason Dunham will be moved into drydock and then into the Kennebec River where it will be lowered into the river and tugged to the west bank. It will undergo Builders Trials until March and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in April 2010 where it is expected to join the fleet and sail to its home port in San Diego, Calif.
