Cpl. Jason L. Dunham
22 years old from Scio, New York
Rifle Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Combat Team 7, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced)
April 22, 2004

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

c/p at Hooah Wife and Friends

Update: This series begins March 14th on HBO.
Sir JJ (search him on this blog for more info on him) and I attended the red-carpet (I’ll go back to that) premier in New Orleans for HBO’s new series, The Pacific last night. I picked my Knight up at the WWII Museum (his home away from home) and we headed to the Convention Center for the viewing. We had found out about an “after event” and Sir JJ was unsure why he was not invited. After all – he is a VIP at the Museum. At first he was focused on this issue as he was hell-bent on attending the event. But, after we entered the center, waited in line for the theater, got some wine and took our seats, he was happy. We got some great seats and sat back and people watched and interacted, while JJ was his “rock star” self.

After viewing Beyond all Boundaries with JJ, I was concerned this would have the same effect on him (so I was pushing glass 2 of wine). The opening speaker was from Cox Communications, followed by Dr. Mueller from the WWII Museum, then Tom Hanks (I was too far to stalk & did not get to give him a coin…again). Tom was outstanding and his love for New Orleans was not hidden at all. Neither was his admiration for the Greatest Generation and his mission to tell their stories. He actually goofed and referred to the movie as “Band of Brothers” which followed with his off-the-cuff quickness and humor.

Dr. Sid Phillips, one of the 3 main characters in the movie, was in attendance with his wife whose letter is featured in the series. Also in attendance were the Sledge family from the late Eugene Sledge who is also a character. Yes, the auditorium was star and political studded, but most impressive were all the veterans in the house. Also in attendance was Hugh Ambrose, who just released he Pacific book to go along with the series (my next read). I decided to stay put and not stalk celebrities as Sir JJ is far more important than any of them to me:) JJ did not fight in the Pacific, but my Papa did, so I was very anxious to see this. Sir JJ singed up for the Navy and Marines the day after Pearl Harbor and was told he would not be accepted because of his less than perfect eyesight. He went down the street to join the Army (Utah Beach).


Let’s just say this about the Pacific, yours truly, who does not watch much TV, will be getting HBO just for this series. It was fantabulous. Watching the upcoming character heartbroken because he was not old enough to go to war with his buddies, puts into perspective how much the youth of America felt the need to protect their Country. Seeing the father send his son off into the unknown and not being able to connect with him was moving. Watching the men enter the beaches on Higgins boats through the rough seas was the start of the intensity of battles ahead in the Guadalcanal. Then, there was the gruesome and grueling fighting which was very realistic. The fighting also becomes very personal as you watch these young characters quickly realize that this is real, especially when they were watching ships being bombed from land and realize later they were theirs.

As for the after-party… JJ and I decided to do a late night dinner in New Olreans. He chose John Besh’s Restaurant August. We talked a bunch about the movie and life. JJ really enjoyed The Pacific much more than Beyond All Boundaries, which he feels is too intense, loud and realistic (the reason I Ioved it, but I did not live it). He enjoyed getting to know the characters but was concerned that it may lead people to believe that only Marines fought in the Pacific (the jury is still out on that). He feels this series will be embraced as much as Band of Brothers. From an infantry guy perspective, he said he put himself in the situation a little trying to solve logistical problems of what seemed like battlefield chaos with such loud and close fighting and being hard to communicate. But, he is not doubting it happened that way. JJ said he definitely would watch the series.

As for the dining experience, it was superb with white glove service. The presentation of the food was spectacular. We began with a cauliflower soup, poured over caviar and lobster tail (compliments of the chef), I had redfish while JJ dined on speckled trout. He joked that he had never seen a rectangular shaped trout before (it was served that way). We shared a dessert (as we always do) of banana rum cake. I am truly blessed to have this friendship…but you all knew that already.

As for you Tom Hanks…3 times will be a charm. You will get that Soldiers’ Angels “We will never forget” coin the next time I see you!


Press coverage is here.
Other Blogs covering it: Jules Critteneden, The US Naval Institute

c/p at Hooah Wife & Friends

On January 30, Ethan Brown, the author of Shake the Devil Off contacted me on Facebook and said, “Would love to talk with you about my book Shake the Devil Off which is about a SGT from the 527th MP Co. who was involved in a notorious murder suicide here in N.O. The book deals with a lot of vets issues and has been endorsed by a number of vets groups, including Veterans for Common Sense.”

I informed Ethan that my radio show had just ended but that I would be willing to read it for review on my Milblogs. A friend said that it was a good book and I was anxious to read it. Of course, an endorsement from Veterans for Common Sense is not a quality endorsement from the Milblog perspective. You can read about them here and here.

This story is about a gruesome 2006 murder/suicide committed by a war veteran by the name of Zackery Bowen in New Orleans. By page 15, I could see that the author and I would not see eye to politically and philosophically regarding politics, however, I persevered. To my surprise, he did not portray Zack or the others in his unit as victims, but portrayed their stories of war time very well. Ethan is an excellent writer and story teller and did an excellent job interviewing and reporting this story.

c/p at Hooah Wife

But, there is someone very special that I would like to thank today. Since April of 2009, I’ve been alluding to my “Sun Tzu” or “Yoda” radio mentor on this blog and Facebook. He never told me not to reveal his identity, but it was for the best to keep it on the QT. I learned pretty quickly that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in the radio world and yours truly certainly did not want to piss anyone off. New Orleans is a small city and the radio world is even smaller. It is Jim Brown.

When I was given my radio show, I had a total of a half hour of training with then producer, Daniel French (now with Man Cow), and then it was a go. I was told to do whatever I wanted and just have fun. My show constantly evolved and often times, became frustrated with myself. My husband was a decent critic, but sometimes you need more than that (plus he was biased). Eric listened from time to time and was wonderful about giving me pointers and tips. I knew that my internet presence and radio show needed to merge to capitalize on my strengths. I’d been following and listening to Jim Brown for some time, so in February of 2009 I reached out to him and asked for some advice. I had been a guest on his show discussing Soldiers’ Angels and we both contribute to Louisiana Conservative, so it did not seem too awkward to approach him. Well…this wonderful man, with a colorful Louisiana history, took my request very seriously. He took his role as mentor very seriously and took time out of his busy schedule to listen and analyze my shows and blog. He either called me or wrote me to give me feedback. He believed and still does, that I have something unique to give the airwaves. That honestly means the world to me! We still have never met in person, but Jim Brown is very special for taking me under his wing. Please sign up for his weekly columns and read his books!

Jim – thank you form the bottom of my heart! Looking forward to meeting you in person someday!

* January 2007 Moved to Mandeville, Louisiana
* April 2007 Began writing for NOLA.com
* April 2007 Began volunteering with Soldiers’ Angels
* August 2007 Began hitting the airwaves for Soldiers’ Angels
* August 2007 was a guest on Jim Brown and Eric Asher’s shows regarding Soldiers’ Angels
* August 2007 I was asked to be a guest on Andre’ Trevigne’s radio show for a new Friday women’s rountable. I was a repeat guest for this.
* February 2008 Approached Eric Asher of WIST to see if there was any room on his station for a 40 year old housewife who had fallen in love with radio. He brought me in to meet the station manager Dan Frazier, and the Kiss My Gumbo radio show was born on April 19, 2008.
* January 2010 my show finally went off air. Dan and Eric have been so wonderful and I will always be grateful for the opportunity they gave me.

Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig

It is hard to know whether Monday was a very bad day or a very good day for Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig.

On the one hand, he was shot in the head. On the other, the bullet bounced off him.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.