Back at home - Marine's medals returned to him on Christmas Eve

By STEPHEN KLOOSTERMAN
The Holland Sentinel
Posted Jan 01, 2009 @ 10:15 PM
Holland Township, MI —


Gabe LeBlanc, an Iraq war veteran, was touched this holiday season when a radio host returned the medals LeBlanc earned while serving abroad.


The Holland Township resident had given his medals over to radio personality Don O’Neill five years ago, after the star raised money so LeBlanc’s wife could attend the funeral of LeBlanc’s best friend.


Five years ago, LeBlanc was 23 and newly married, but separated from his wife while he served in Iraq. So he was already under a lot of stress when his best friend and fellow Marine, Jason Dunham, died in action.


LeBlanc said he had other friends who had died in action, but the death of Dunham — who had been the best man at his wedding — hit him the hardest.


Dunham was mortally injured after attempting to smother a grenade with his Kevlar helmet. Dunham’s quick thinking saved other’s lives, but he died from his injuries eight days later in the United States.


Still fighting in Iraq, LeBlanc wasn’t able to attend his best friend’s funeral. Radio personality Dan O’Neill, who then worked at WKLQ in Grand Rapids, helped raise money so LeBlanc’s wife Kathy — a former Marine herself — could purchase a Marine dress uniform and attend the funeral.


“The deal has always been if you need anything while you’re over there, send us an e-mail,” said O’Neill, who now hosts a radio show in Seattle.


When LeBlanc got home, he met O’Neill and expressed his thanks.


“He pulled out a plastic bag — I was so shocked — and in this plastic bag — was a bunch of medals,” O’Neill said.


O’Neill made a point of giving the medals back to LeBlanc on Christmas Eve. The Grand Rapids Police Department and Marine Sgt. Kenneth Fall delivered the medals to LeBlanc and his family. Kathy LeBlanc helped the police and O’Neill plan the event as a surprise for her husband.


“I’m not really an emotional guy,” O’Neill said. “It was really touching. I cried, and it was really embarrassing.”


Gabe LeBlanc is no longer serving in the Marine Corps — but the medals still hold a lot of meaning.


“You can re-buy medals, but you can never get the ones that were given to you for what you had done,” LeBlanc said. “The medals were really all I got out of the situation. All I had out of this turmoil and grief were these ribbons and medals.”

Ellie