Doug Barnette to attend Congressional Medal of Honor ceremony for Corporal Jason L. Dunham
Player Management International Press Release
Washington, DC (January 11, 2007) – On January 11, 2007, Doug Barnette will take a break from the sports business and turn his attention to the business of our nation and its military. He was invited by Dan and Deb Dunham to be their personal guest at the White House on Thursday when President Bush will posthumously award the Congressional Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest honor, to their son, Corporal Jason L. Dunham.
In April 2004, Dunham was leading a patrol in an Iraqi town near the Syrian border when the patrol stopped a convoy of cars leaving the scene of an attack on a Marine convoy, according to military and media accounts of the action.
An occupant of one of the cars attacked Dunham and the two fought hand to hand. As they fought, Dunham yelled to fellow Marines, "No, no watch his hand." The attacker then dropped a grenade and Dunham hurled himself on top of it, using his helmet to try to blunt the force of the blast. In the course of covering the grenade, Corporal Dunham sacrificed his life to save those around him.
Barnette came to know the Dunham’s after reading a book entitled, ‘The Gift of Valor’, written by Wall Street Journal reporter, Michael Phillips.
“I was in the store looking for a book to read on an upcoming trip and I picked up ‘The Gift of Valor’,” Barnette said. “I ended up reading the book in about 4 days and I decided to track down Dan and Deb so I could personally thank them for their son’s act of bravery. As a former U.S. Army paratrooper, I wanted to do whatever I could to honor this young man.”
Barnette did just that when Dan and Deb Dunham attended the Phoenix NASCAR race in November 2005. It was an appropriate weekend as Corporal Dunham shares a birthday with the United States Marine Corps on November 10th, and it was also Veteran’s Day weekend. A special logo that honored Corporal Dunham appeared on the #4 Biagi Bros. Racing entry. The Dunham’s also attended both the NASCAR Busch Series and Nextel Cup driver meetings and met everyone from Mike Helton to Rusty Wallace.
“It meant a lot to me to be able to do that for them. Fred Biagi was nice enough to let me put a decal on the car and I can never really thank him enough for allowing me to do so,” Barnette said. “Dan, Deb, and I got to spend a lot of time together that weekend and have become great friends. It was an honor to say the least when Deb Dunham called me and asked me to attend the ceremony. I have done a lot of cool things in my life, but this by far and away surpasses any success that I have ever achieved. This is truly an honor to be present at the White House when President Bush personally honors such a courageous, unselfish young man.”
On January 11, 2007, our country will pay tribute to a fallen Marine who gave his life to save others. A Marine who had such a big impact on everyone around him. Most importantly, Corporal Dunham is a Marine who will be remembered as a son, a brother, and a friend.
“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others.”
- Winston Churchill