Rank and Organization: Corporal, United States Marine Corps
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Rifle Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Combat Team 7, First Marine Division (Reinforced), on 14 April 2004. Corporal Dunham's squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in the town of Karabilah, Iraq, when they heard rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire erupt approximately two kilometers to the west. Corporal Dunham led his Combined Anti-Armor Team towards the engagement to provide fire support to their Battalion Commander's convoy, which had been ambushed as it was traveling to Camp Husaybah. As Corporal Dunham and his Marines advanced, they quickly began to receive enemy fire. Corporal Dunham ordered his squad to dismount their vehicles and led one of his fire teams on foot several blocks south of the ambushed convoy. Discovering seven Iraqi vehicles in a column attempting to depart, Corporal Dunham and his team stopped the vehicles to search them for weapons. As they approached the vehicles, an insurgent leaped out and attacked Corporal Dunham. Corporal Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground and in the ensuing struggle saw the insurgent release a grenade. Corporal Dunham immediately alerted his fellow Marines to the threat. Aware of the imminent danger and without hesitation, Corporal Dunham covered the grenade with his helmet and body, bearing the brunt of the explosion and shielding his Marines from the blast. In an ultimate and selfless act of bravery in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of at least two fellow Marines. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty, Corporal Dunham gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

Marine Cpl. Julian M. Woodall-Lance Cpl. Benjamin D. Desilets.
21, of Tallahassee, Fla.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 22 while conducting combat operations in the Anbar province. Also killed was Lance Cpl. Benjamin D. Desilets.

Marine Lance Cpl. Johnathan E. Kirk

25, of Belhaven, N.C.; assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 1 from wounds received while conducting combat operations on April 23 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

Navy Cmdr. Philip A. Murphy-Sweet

42, of Caldwell, Idaho; operationally assigned to Joint Contracting Command, Multi-National Force - Iraq and was deployed from his permanently assigned command of Naval Inventory Control Point, Mechanicsburg, Pa.; died April 7 as a result of enemy action in the vicinity of Baghdad.

Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Joseph C. Schwedler

27, of Crystal Falls, Mich.; assigned to East Coast Navy SEAL Team; died April 6 from enemy action while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Manuel A. Ruiz

21, of Federalsburg, Md.; assigned to 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 7 in a helicopter crash in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed were Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (Petty Officer 1st Class) Gilbert Minjares Jr., Marine Capt. Jennifer J. Harris, Marine 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, Marine Sgt. Travis D. Pfister, Marine Cpl. Thomas E. Saba and Marine Sgt. James R. Tijerina.

Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class, United States Army
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq on 4 April 2003. On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith’s extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division “Rock of the Marne,” and the United States Army.

Army Pvt. Oscar Sauceda Jr.

21, of Del Rio, Texas; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died May 22 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire.

Army Spc. Michael W. Davis

22, of San Marcos, Texas; assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died May 21 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when multiple improvised explosive devices detonated near their vehicle. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Shannon V. Weaver and Sgt. Brian D. Ardron.

Air Force Staff Sgt. John T. Self (4th tour)

29, of Pontotoc, Miss.; assigned to the 314th Security Forces Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.; died May 14 as result of enemy action near Baghdad.

Air Force Senior Airman Daniel B. Miller Jr.

24, Galesburg, Ill.; assigned to the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah; killed Jan. 7 by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device while performing duties in the Baghdad area. Also killed were Senior Airman Elizabeth A. Loncki and Tech Sgt. Timothy R. Weiner.

Air Force Maj. Troy L. Gilbert

34, of Litchfield Park, Ariz.; assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.; died Nov. 27 when his F-16C fighter crashed 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. Gilbert was previously carried as "Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown," awaiting positive DNA identification of remains from the crash site.

"Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic." -- General Logan - May 5, 1868

We need to remember with sincere respect those who paid the price for our freedoms; we need to keep in sacred remembrance those who died serving their country. We need to never let them be forgotten. However, over the years the original meaning and spirit of Memorial Day has faded from the public consciousness.

"If it is considered a holiday, why is it so? I consider it to be a national day of mourning. This is how we observe this day in our home. Because of what that day represents the rest of the days of the year are our holidays." -- F L Lloyd West Chester, Pa USA - February 26, 2000

On Memorial Day we need to stop and pay with sincere conviction our respects for those who died protecting and preserving the freedoms we enjoy, for we owe those honored dead more than we can ever repay.
People of other nations sometimes show more of the true spirit of Memorial Day more than we do here. For example, a 2001 U.S. Memorial Day Guestbook entry from a citizen of the Netherlands states:

"In 1999 I laid flowers at the grave of a young U.S. fighter pilot who was KIA in my village in 1945. In the Netherlands I know of schools 'adopting' graves of Allied servicemen, keeping those graves in excellent condition! Does anybody know of adopting graves in the U.S. by schools?
Sincerely,
Paul Patist

How many graves of our fallen do we in America leave dishonored by leaving their resting places forgotten and neglected?

Unfortunately, when Congress made Memorial day into a mandatory three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363), it made it all the easier for us to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day.

The Moment of Remembrance started in 2001 is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember and reflect, to maintain and decorate the graves of the fallen, and as Gen Logan stated in his famous General Order #11: "renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan."

On 17 of March 1989 Senator Inouye [HI] introduced a bill to the Senate which called for the restoration of the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th. Every new Congress since then (every two years), Mr. Inouye has faithfully re-introduced the bill. Several times a companion bill was introduced to the House.

How can you help?

Write your Representative and your Senators, urging them to support bill S 70 (110th Congress). Ask them to co-sponsor the bill (especially your Representative, urge them to introduce the bill to the House).

Contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and urge them to act upon the bill.

Sign the Petition in support of bill S 70 (110th Congress).

Write Mr. Inouye to let him know of your support.

Help spread the word: Contact your local newspaper, and your local TV and radio stations. Two online sources for finding contact info for your local newspaper, radio or tv news media are Kidon Media-Link and Zap2it | TV: Nets/Stations. Write letters to the editors or take out an ad. Direct readers to this website, , for more information.

If you are a member of a military/veteran organization, please consider bringing this matter to the attention of your fellow group members; urge them to sign the petition and to help spread the word.

Wear or display Memorial Day Stickers, Buttons and Magnets.

Do you have any ideas? Are you involved in local efforts to promote this cause? Please contact us to let us know what you are doing, or what ideas you may have to help further this cause:
David Merchant
U.S. Memorial Day Site Webmaster
30mayusmemorialday.org

We'll never know the answers to these questions about his life. We do know, though, why he died. He saw the horrors of war but bravely faced them, certain his own cause and his country's cause was a noble one; that he was fighting for human dignity, for free men everywhere. Today we pause to embrace him and all who served us so well in a war whose end offered no parades, no flags, and so little thanks. We can be worthy of the values and ideals for which our sons sacrificed -- worthy of their courage in the face of a fear that few of us will ever experience -- by honoring their commitment and devotion to duty and country.

==>Ronal Reagan-tomb of the unknown-Viet Nam