USS Jason Dunham Sets Sail on Maiden Deployment
On Wednesday guided missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) left Naval Station Norfolk for its maiden deployment. Helicopter Anti-Submarine Light Squadron (HSL) 42 Detachment 7 joined the destroyer as part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group.
The USS Jason Dunham will operate in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas and will conduct maritime security operations, theatre security and training and capacity building exercises with allied nations.
“We leave our families and friends with sadness, but it is with excitement we look towards the journey ahead," said Cmdr. David A. Bretz, commanding officer, in a release from the U.S. Navy. "This is an exciting time for the entire crew. We go forth endeavoring to uphold the legacy of Cpl. Jason Dunham. I have no doubt this crew will do just that."
The USS Jason Dunham was commissioned in Fort Lauderdale, FL at Port Everglades in 2010, with a week of festivities celebrating the bravery of Marine Corporal Jason Dunham. This maiden deployment will also serve as the first deployment for many of the crew onboard who have spent the last two years training for this day.
The Dunham is part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group which includes CSG 8, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), guided missile destroyer USS Hue City (CG 66), and guided missle destroyers USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), seven squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 7, and Destroyer Squadron 28.
In 2007 the U.S. Navy announced the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer would be named the USS Jason Dunham. The ship was built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine and was christened by Dunham’s mother Debra, acting as the ship’s sponsor. A piece of Jason’s helmet is in the mast of the ship and his dress blues are on display in the ship’s galley.
Cpl. Jason Dunham, a U.S. Hero
The destroyer is named after Marine Corporal Jason Dunham, who leaves a legacy of honor, courage and commitment. Jason Dunham served with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On April 14, 2004, while on patrol in Karabilah, Iraq, Dunham’s unit was attacked and an enemy grenade was thrown. Reacting quickly, Dunham covered the grenade with his helmet and body. Dunham was seriously injured in the blast. He was immediately evacuated and after just days was taken to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He was in a coma and had sustained severe brain damage that doctors said he was unlikely to recover from. Eight days after the grenade exploded Dunham was removed from life support, he was 22 years old.
Dunham’s courage on that day in 2004 saved the lives of two fellow Marines and gave testament to the honor and bravery that the Marine Corps embodies.
Shortly before his death, Commandant of the Marine Corps Michal Hagee awarded Dunham the Purple Heart and on November 10, 2006 at the dedication ceremony for the National Museum of the Marine Corps, President George H. Bush announced Corporal Dunham would receive the Medal of Honor, making him the first recipient of the award for action in the Iraq War and the first Marine since the Vietnam War to receive the nation’s highest military honor.
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