PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD:
Cpl. Jason Dunham
Marine who sacrificed his life to save his unit


Though thousands of soldiers serving in Iraq exhibit bravery in combat every day, Cpl. Jason Dunham’s selfless act of courage made him a candidate for the first Medal of Honor to be awarded since 1993.

On April 14, Dunham, 22, was on a mission with his Marine unit in the Iraqi town of Karabiliah when reports came in of an insurgent attack against another group of Marines nearby. Dunham’s team went in search of the perpetrators in an attempt to stop the attack. When they came upon a line of Iraqi vehicles, the team checked each one. One vehicle’s driver, an Iraqi, lunged out of the driver’s side, and he and Dunham wrestled to the ground. Other Marines at the scene rushed to help, but one heard Dunham yell, “No, no, no—watch his hand!”

The Iraqi was holding a hand grenade, which was on a hair trigger. When the insurgent released the grenade, Dunham threw his helmet and his body over the weapon, taking the brunt of the explosion. Eight days later, with his parents at his side, Dunham died from his injuries.

Dunham, a native of Scio, New York who has been nominated for the military’s highest honor, re-enlisted in the Marines last July so that he could remain in Iraq for his battalion’s entire tour. The Wall Street Journal reports that a colleague of Dunham’s asked him why he was extending his tour.

“I want to make sure everyone makes it home alive. I want to be sure you go home to your wife alive,” Dunham told his friend.