THOUGHTS FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL, JOSEPH VORBACH:
Before I get into the story I want to share, let me begin by encouraging everyone to get out to the school this weekend to see Mary Poppins -- tonight or tomorrow at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. With some experience as a father of student involved in theater, as well as ten years now seeing our students perform, I can tell you that it is an absolute treat to see young people realize the fruits of their significant labors by putting on a great production in front of an audience full of many family and friends. Seeing them enjoying well-deserved accolades in the lobby afterwards is the icing on the cake.
Now to the story...an early Memorial Day story:
For the past several years, it has been my privilege to be part of a periodic gathering of retired and active military personnel, mostly Marines but the occasional Coast Guard retiree like myself. The event is a simple dinner with a guest speaker. At this time each year, the organizer revisits a particular story because April is the month that the person around whom the story centers died of his injuries after an heroic action for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
When an insurgent rolled a grenade toward some of CPL Jason Dunham's fellow Marines, he took his Kevlar helmet and placed it over the grenade and then lay down over the helmet. After surviving the battlefield and transport back to the United States through Germany, he succumbed to his injuries eight days after the incident.
The organizer of the event I attended has been connected to CPL Dunham's family since the time of his injury and each year has coordinated a discussion about his ultimate sacrifice for his country. Sometimes the discussion includes the opportunity to meet and hear from Michael Philips, the Wall Street Journal writer who wrote a book, The Gift of Valor, about CPL Dunham. The event always includes an opportunity to speak by phone with CPL Dunham's parents.
Last night, when the organizer got CPL Dunham's parents on the phone, they were in a Chili's restaurant near the homeport of the USS Jason Dunham, an Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer. They are the sponsors of the ship and they were having dinner with the Captain and the Command Master Chief. In talking about her son, Mrs. Dunham shared stories about his humility and his desire, from a young age, to be of service to others. She said that he had an "awesomely huge heart."
As Memorial Day approaches, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation. Many of these men and women did so when they were very young. Having promised to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, and promising to obey the lawful orders of their superiors, they went forward willingly and proudly into harms way.
READ MORE...
Medal of Honor: http://www.hqmc.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/551570/medal-of-honor-citation-for-cpl-jason-l-dunham/
USS Jason Dunham: http://www.public.navy.mil/surflant/ddg109/Pages/default.aspx
Gift of Valor: https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Valor-War-Story/dp/0767920384