By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The parents of a Marine from Allegany County participated in a White House ceremony yesterday to receive their son's posthumous Medal of Honor. Dan and Deb Dunham of Scio joined President Bush in the East Room for a solemn ceremony in honor of their son, Corporal Jason Dunham.
The President said Dunham saved the lives of two of his men when he fell on a grenade while fighting in Iraq in April 2004.
"On a dusty road in western Iraq, Corporal Dunham gave his own life so that the men under his command might live," Mr. Bush said.
Thursday's ceremony was attended by Congressman Randy Kuhl and several U.S. senators, including John McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war. McCain said the ceremony was a reminder of the "terribly heartbreaking" sacrifices made by everyday Americans in war.
Dunham is just the second Iraq war recipient of the nation's highest military honor.