thedrifter
07-23-04, 01:49 PM
A Mother's Road to Recovery
by JO1 Oscar Troncoso
National Naval Medical Center Journal Staff Writer
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet and philosopher from New England,
wrote, "Men are what their mothers made them." In the case of Marine
Cpl. Jason Dunham of Scio, New York, these words ring with truth.
On April 14, the 22 year-old threw himself with his Kevlar helmet on a
grenade in Karbala, Iraq. In a split second Dunham made the ultimate
sacrifice, disregarding his own safety to save the lives of fellow
Marines. One week later, the evening of April 21st, Dunham arrived at
Bethesda from Germany. Dunham's condition had worsened after the
transatlantic flight. Dunham's parents had arrived earlier that day in
Bethesda to await the arrival of their critically injured son. At 4:43
pm of the following afternoon Dunham passed away.
As a result of the circumstances that preceded Dunham's death, the
Marine from the 4th Platoon, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st
Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) has been nominated
for the Congressional Medal of Honor. There have been no other Marines
from the Iraq war who have been nominated. The last time Medals of Honor
were awarded was in 1993, for the heroic actions of two soldiers during
the Blackhawk Down incident in Somalia.
As for Dunham's mother, Debra Dunham, there is no doubt her son deserves
special recognition. To the mother who raised him, his actions on April
21st were not unexpected.
"I wasn't surprised by his actions. It would be surprising if he did
anything else. He always wanted to help other people. He is a hero to us
no matter what happens. When our kids were born, they were heroes to
us," said Dunham.
Even though Dunham may receive this country's highest recognition, a
parent, especially one's mother, could still be understandably upset and
disillusioned at the loss of a son in a foreign war. Dunham's mother,
however, chose another path. Just over two months have passed after her
nightmarish ordeal, and the home economics teacher at Scio's Central
High School has found a way to be thankful.
"I was angry that he was hurt so badly. I didn't want him to die in
Iraq. But the Marines brought him home to us," said Dunham in a phone
interview from her home in Scio, a town of 1,900 in the western hills of
New York's Allegany County.
As a mother, Dunham's greatest fear was that her critically injured son
would be alone. More than anything else, she did not want her son to be
fighting for his life by himself.
"I did not want him to be alone. But I know the Marines never leave
their own by themselves. There was always somebody with him. From a
mother's point of view, I couldn't get to my son, but others were there
to do the things that I couldn't do. That made things a lot easier for
me. I don't know why, but it did," Dunham said.
The Dunham family could not be with their son in the Iraqi or German
hospital during that first week that Jason was struggling to remain
alive. But Dunham could not help but feel that her son was still
surrounded by family - the brotherhood of the Marines.
"The Marines always felt like family. When I lost my son, I was not put
to drift. They were taking care of their brother," said Dunham's mother.
On holidays such as the 4th of July, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day,
there are many mothers who are painfully reminded of the sacrifice that
their children have made while serving in the armed forces of our
country. On that fateful day in April, the Dunhams lost their oldest
son. But, according to Dunham's mother, they gained much more.
"I lost my son, but I gained thousands," said the grief stricken, but
proud mother of Dunham.
Emerson's words remind us that Jason Dunham's actions were not the
result of mere chance. Dunham's actions in Karbala, Iraq were the result
of a courageous Marine from a small town in New York who was raised to
do the right thing.
Ellie
by JO1 Oscar Troncoso
National Naval Medical Center Journal Staff Writer
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet and philosopher from New England,
wrote, "Men are what their mothers made them." In the case of Marine
Cpl. Jason Dunham of Scio, New York, these words ring with truth.
On April 14, the 22 year-old threw himself with his Kevlar helmet on a
grenade in Karbala, Iraq. In a split second Dunham made the ultimate
sacrifice, disregarding his own safety to save the lives of fellow
Marines. One week later, the evening of April 21st, Dunham arrived at
Bethesda from Germany. Dunham's condition had worsened after the
transatlantic flight. Dunham's parents had arrived earlier that day in
Bethesda to await the arrival of their critically injured son. At 4:43
pm of the following afternoon Dunham passed away.
As a result of the circumstances that preceded Dunham's death, the
Marine from the 4th Platoon, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st
Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) has been nominated
for the Congressional Medal of Honor. There have been no other Marines
from the Iraq war who have been nominated. The last time Medals of Honor
were awarded was in 1993, for the heroic actions of two soldiers during
the Blackhawk Down incident in Somalia.
As for Dunham's mother, Debra Dunham, there is no doubt her son deserves
special recognition. To the mother who raised him, his actions on April
21st were not unexpected.
"I wasn't surprised by his actions. It would be surprising if he did
anything else. He always wanted to help other people. He is a hero to us
no matter what happens. When our kids were born, they were heroes to
us," said Dunham.
Even though Dunham may receive this country's highest recognition, a
parent, especially one's mother, could still be understandably upset and
disillusioned at the loss of a son in a foreign war. Dunham's mother,
however, chose another path. Just over two months have passed after her
nightmarish ordeal, and the home economics teacher at Scio's Central
High School has found a way to be thankful.
"I was angry that he was hurt so badly. I didn't want him to die in
Iraq. But the Marines brought him home to us," said Dunham in a phone
interview from her home in Scio, a town of 1,900 in the western hills of
New York's Allegany County.
As a mother, Dunham's greatest fear was that her critically injured son
would be alone. More than anything else, she did not want her son to be
fighting for his life by himself.
"I did not want him to be alone. But I know the Marines never leave
their own by themselves. There was always somebody with him. From a
mother's point of view, I couldn't get to my son, but others were there
to do the things that I couldn't do. That made things a lot easier for
me. I don't know why, but it did," Dunham said.
The Dunham family could not be with their son in the Iraqi or German
hospital during that first week that Jason was struggling to remain
alive. But Dunham could not help but feel that her son was still
surrounded by family - the brotherhood of the Marines.
"The Marines always felt like family. When I lost my son, I was not put
to drift. They were taking care of their brother," said Dunham's mother.
On holidays such as the 4th of July, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day,
there are many mothers who are painfully reminded of the sacrifice that
their children have made while serving in the armed forces of our
country. On that fateful day in April, the Dunhams lost their oldest
son. But, according to Dunham's mother, they gained much more.
"I lost my son, but I gained thousands," said the grief stricken, but
proud mother of Dunham.
Emerson's words remind us that Jason Dunham's actions were not the
result of mere chance. Dunham's actions in Karbala, Iraq were the result
of a courageous Marine from a small town in New York who was raised to
do the right thing.
Ellie