By Robert Nolin, Sun Sentinel
The deadline is approaching to apply for an invitation to attend the commissioning of the USS Jason Dunham, a new destroyer to be officially inducted into the Navy during a Nov. 13 ceremony at Port Everglades.

The Navy expects more than 3,000 to attend the ceremony welcoming the 510-foot ship and its 380-member crew to active duty. The vessel is on its way to Port Everglades from Bath, Maine, where it was built and christened.

Applications to attend must be received no later than Oct. 15. The application form may be found at http://www.jasondunhamuss.com. Prospective attendees must submit their names and addresses to the Navy via the website. They will receive an invitation in the mail requesting further personal information so they can be screened before getting clearance to enter the port.

The new ship was named after Jason Dunham, a Marine corporal who gave his life to save his comrades. The upstate New York native threw his helmet and his body on a grenade during a firefight in Karabilah, Iraq, in April 2004. The action saved the lives of two fellow Marines, but Dunham died eight days later. He was 22.