The new vessel was named after a Marine and posthumous Medal of Honor recipient who sacrificed his life during combat in Iraq so his comrades could live.
The 510-foot-long vessel and its 380-member crew will be formally inducted into the Navy during an hour-and-a-half-long ceremony featuring top military brass, state politicians and possibly the governor. There will be flag raisings and speeches before an expected crowd of at least 5,000.
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“What it means for our community is the opportunity to pay tribute to a young person who served in a war environment during our lifetime,” said Chuck Black, event chairman. “It’s quite an honor for us, and it will have an economic impact on the community.”
Dunham, a corporal from upstate New York, threw his helmet and his body on top of a live grenade during a firefight in Karabilah in April 2004. His action saved the lives of two fellow Marines. Dunham died eight days later at age 22. A piece of his helmet is enshrined in the mast of the warship.
Dunham was the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in the Iraq war and the first Marine to be so honored since the Vietnam War.
“A true American hero,” said Black.
The commissioning is open to the public, but those who wish to attend must submit names and addresses to the Navy via the website http://www.jasondunhamuss.com by Oct. 15. The Navy then will reply with an invitation, including a request for personal information so potential attendees can be screened before entering the port.
“We’re expecting somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000,” Black said, estimating a third of that number will be from out of town.
The last Navy ship to be commissioned at Port Everglades, the USS Bainbridge in 2005, drew several thousand spectators. Two other vessels were commissioned at the port, the USS Cole in 1996 and the USS Gridley in 2000. All were guided missile destroyers.
The traditional smashing of a champagne bottle on its bow occurred in August 2009 during the ship’s christening at Bath, Maine, where it was built.
There will be days of events resembling Fort Lauderdale’s annual Fleet Week, starting from when the ship arrives on Nov. 5 until its departure Nov. 15. There will be parties and community service projects for crew members such as hospital and school visits. Tours of the ship will be offered on the day of the commissioning.
Black said the crew opted for the Port Everglades location over other choices. Event organizers also lobbied the Navy to have the commissioning there.
“The Navy is very aware as to how receptive South Florida and in particular Fort Lauderdale is to the Navy,” Black said. “Just coming to South Florida in November is not a bad thing.”
Robert Nolin can be reached at rnolin@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4525.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.. –
A U.S. Navyguided-missile destroyer will be commissioned in Port Everglades on November 13th, a rare event that is being hailed as a small but much-needed boost for tourism and, possibly, patriotism.
The Navy announced this week that it had selected Fort Lauderdale for the ceremony that will mark the entry into service of the USS Jason Dunham, the Navy’s “most advanced warship,” named after a Marine Corps corporal who died in Iraq.
“To see a ship commissioned, this is kind of spectacular,” said Richard Winer, a Navy World War II veteran who lives in Fort Lauderdale.
Navy Lt. Amalon Aneson said the commissionings typically draw 3,000-plus visitors from out of town, including the 250 sailors who’ll sail the ship, and their friends and families.
Fort Lauderdale “has been a great Navy town,” Aneson said, adding that it has been “itching to have” a commissioning.
It’s been five years since the last such ceremony; this event, planned for November, will be the fifth in the port’s history. It follows the commissioning of the USS Bainbridge in 2005, the USS Higgins in 1999, the USS Cole in 1996 and the USS Leyete Gulf in 1987.
Dunham, 22, was attacked by an insurgent in Iraq on April 14, 2004, and while the two wrestled, the assailant released a grenade. Dunham jumped on it, covering it with his body and helmet. He died, but he was credited with saving the lives of at least two fellow Marines. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seilersaid the event would be a welcome boost to the local economy. The last commissioning drew a crowd of 5,000.
“I can tell the crew of the USS Jason Dunham, that you can not have a better namesake, nor a better sponsor. This ship, USS Jason Dunham, will always remind individuals that freedom is in fact not free. It is paid for by those great young men and women who wear the cloth of our nation,” said retired general and former Commandant of the Marine Corps Michael Hagee, who served as guest speaker.
Deborah Dunham served as the sponsor of the ship named for her late son. In accordance with Navy tradition, she broke a bottle of champagne across the ship’s bow and christened the ship.
She said her son would be very proud of the honor to have a ship named after him.
“It’s an honor to be able to do this for Jason. I appreciate the fact that they chose to name the ship after Jason, but I like the idea that they’ll be able to carry his name on in history. I’m hoping that somebody, a child in school some day, will see the name ‘Jason Dunham’ and look it up and find out what he did with his citation. Maybe, that will encourage them to go to the Medal of Honor Society Web site and find out what other men have done for our nation, also.
“These men carry on their heroic actions very quietly and very humbly. So, if this is a way of putting it out there, of what this whole entire fraternity of men have done for our country, I’m glad that he could be a stepping stone for that,” said Dunham.
The new destroyer honors the late Cpl. Jason Dunham, the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On April 14, 2004, Dunham’s squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in Karabilah, Iraq, when his battalion commander’s convoy was ambushed. When Dunham’s squad approached to provide fire support, an Iraqi insurgent leapt out of a vehicle and attacked Dunham. As Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground, he noticed that the enemy fighter had a grenade in his hand.
Dunham immediately alerted his fellow Marines, and when the enemy dropped the live grenade, Dunham took off his Kevlar helmet, covered the grenade, and threw himself on top to smother the blast. In an ultimately selfless act of courage, in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of two fellow Marines.
During his speech, Bush said, “As long as we have Marines like Cpl. Dunham, America will never fear for her liberty.”
Bush presented Cpl. Dunham’s family with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 11.
“Today, Jason takes his rightful place in naval history alongside his storied legacy in the annals of the Marine Corps,” said Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus.
“Though Jason is no longer with us, his name will live on in this magnificent warship that represents the best our nation has to offer. Jason’s spirit — as a warrior, fighter, and one who never gave up, even in the face of great challenges — lives on to lead all of the men and women who will ever serve aboard USS Jason Dunham, in home waters and abroad. In the fighting spirit of its namesake, the men and women of USS Jason Dunham will never back down from any challenge put before them,” said Mabus.
“It’s clear that having ‘Jason Dunham’ written on the stern of this ship will always force the crew to think about why they’re serving and what they’re giving and what they expect of themselves. So, what Jason taught the rest of us is something that they can always think about as they serve on that ship, wherever it may take them,” said Michael M. Phillips, author of “The Gift of Valor: A War Story,” a book about Cpl. Dunham and actions leading up to his Medal of Honor.
The ship’s prospective commanding officer is Cmdr. Scott Sciretta who will lead the crew of 276 officers and enlisted personnel of the 9,200-ton vessel. http://www.jason-dunham.navy.mil/Site%20Pages/Ships%20Crest.aspx
“This ship as far as the maritime strategy is the most capable warship in the world,” said Sciretta. “It can do anything. You name the mission, our Navy is ready to meet the maritime strategy. This ship is the most capable warship in the world.”
“This is the greatest honor of my life. I cannot stress with anything greater in my heart anything that I feel, to have the opportunity to meet Dan and Deb Dunham and their lovely family, the sacrifice that Jason made for this country, the sacrifice that Dan and Deb continue to make for this country on a daily basis. I’m deeply honored,” continued Sciretta.
In the spirit of this Marine, USS Jason Dunham will continue protecting America’s liberty by providing a dynamic multimission platform to lead the Navy into the future. Utilizing a gas-turbine propulsion system, the ship can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups. The ship’s combat systems center on the Aegis combat system and the SPY-Ld(V) multifunction phased array radar. With the combination of Aegis, the vertical launching system, an advanced anti-submarine warfare system, advanced anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class continues the revolution at sea.
“I feel incredibly honored to be here today to christen the USS Jason Dunham,” said Mabus. “To honor a Marine who made the ultimate sacrifice, so that others Marines could live and so that America could continue to represent the values that we do. To have a Navy ship named after such a Marine is in the great tradition of our naval forces. And USS Jason Dunham is going to represent us well, around the world, in a lot of different capacities, for decades to come.
“This is one of the most capable ships that the Navy has. It’s one of the most capable types of ships that any navy has ever had. It can mount simultaneous defenses and attacks. Air, sea, underwater. It is truly an integrated fighting machine. And it’s got other things too. It can deliver humanitarian aid. It can deter some aggression. It can reassure allies. It is an incredibly capable ship, in an incredibly capable navy, in an incredibly complex world. And it’s something that we need, and it’s something that’s going to serve us well.
“It shows what values we have in the United States. Not only in the Navy and Marine Corps, but as a country. The values of character, of honor, of sacrifice, of the willingness to give to something bigger than ourselves. And I think that the name Jason Dunham on this ship, what he stood for, the character that he had, the actions that he took, will represent us well as this ship sails in our fleet for a long time to come,” said Mabus.
“He would think it was an absolute hoot, and he would just enjoy it to no end. I do think Jason would find it a huge honor,” said Dunham’s mother.
“It would be our duty and pleasure to be with the ship and be a part of the ship for the rest of the ship’s life or my life and the children’s lives, and I’m really looking forward to a family cruise,” said Dunham.
Additional information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers is available at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4
The future USS New York LPD-21 under construction at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ shipyard in Avondale, LA, will be the fifth amphibious transport dock of the San Antonio class. The ship was named New York after the state and incorporates in its construction steel salvaged from the World Trade Centers. Her ship motto is "Never Forget." "We're very proud that the twisted steel from the WTC towers will soon be used to forge an even stronger national defense," New York Gov. George Pataki spoke in 2002. "The USS New York will soon be defending freedom and combating terrorism around the globe, while also ensuring that the world never forgets the evil attacks of Sept. 11 and the courage and strength New Yorkers showed.” This will be the seventh U.S. ship named New York.
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