Book Review: The Gift of Valor

The Gift of Valor by Michael M. Phillips is the story of Cpl Jason Dunham's Medal of Honor citation. Cpl Dunham was a U.S. Marine who served in Iraq. He was born in New York, lived there until he joined the Marine Corps, and came home there.

Cpl Dunham's heroism stemmed from his true leadership of his men. He was willing to truly lead, rather than play head games and go on power trips, and this allowed his men to fully trust him. In the greatest way, Cpl Dunham deserved their trust.

During a patrol in Husaybah, Iraq, Cpl Dunham's squad came under attack, and Cpl Dunham was singly attacked by an Iraqi who held a hand grenade. During the struggle, the pin was pulled, and the grenade was about to explode. Cpl Dunham placed his kevlar helmet over the grenade and laid his body on top. His body was protected by SAPI plates (modern body armor) from throat to hips.

When the grenade detonated, Cpl Dunham was severely wounded, and after being evacuated with his team, was placed in the expectant ward. Evaluators determined he was good to be flown home, and despite the severity of his wounds, was still alive when he reached home soil. Unfortunately, his brain was injured too badly for the doctors at Walter Reed to give a good prognosis, and Jason Dunham would remain in a vegetative state on life support.

Dan and Deb Dunham bravely read their son's Living Will, which stated that he did not want to remain on life support in a vegetative state. They stood vigil by their son's bedside while he received his Purple Heart and took his last breath. They honored their son.

Cpl Jason Dunham received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his courage represented by his actions that day in Iraq. All hail the honored dead!

This book was a hard book to read, because you already know the end. Cpl Jason Dunham does not survive the grenade blast that he protected his team from. The author, Michael M. Phillips, is a reporter, which shows in the writing style. The writing is human, and the storyline jumps around a bit, almost how I would have thought about tackling the writing on this event. Mr. Phillips shows the reader the person Jason Dunham was in his life, which is a huge challenge for any person. He successfully tells the tragic part of the story with grace and honor.