World War II Medal of Honor recipient Russell Dunham of Jerseyville is still a hero to people 63 years after
he saved his comrades' lives on a battlefield in France.
First lady Laura Bush honored the 88-year-old Dunham and other Medal of Honor recipients at the 50th
anniversary convention of the Medal of Honor Society this summer in Denver.
Dunham is the only surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient in Illinois. At the national convention,
Dunham shared memories with some of his buddies in the 30th Infantry Regiment of 1945.
"All of us Medal of Honor recipients are like brothers," Dunham said.
The history of the Medal of Honor will be featured at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, on KETC Channel 9 in St.
Louis. The outstanding film will show the heroic acts of service men and women from the Civil War to Iraq.
Sixty-three years ago, Dunham was awarded the Medal of Honor for one of the greatest heroic acts in
World War II. He remembers the day - Jan. 8, 1945 - when he single-handedly wiped out three German
machine gun nests and saved the lives of hundreds of American soldiers.
"I can still see the faces of German soldiers when I dove into their machine gun nest," he said.
Tech. Sgt. Dunham led the soldiers of Company I, 3rd Battalion, through enemy lines at Alsace-Lorraine in
France. His soldiers broke through German territory and were behind the enemy, he said.
German machine guns and artillery opened fire on the advancing U.S. infantrymen and many fell dead on
the battlefield.
"We were pinned down by enemy fire," Dunham said. "I felt the bullets ripping through my backpack."
He took action to save his soldiers from death under the heavy enemy machine gun fire. The 25-year-old
Dunham wrapped a white mattress cover around his body to conceal himself in the snow. He loaded his
belt with hand grenades and ammunition, grabbed an automatic rifle, and ran up the hillside toward the
machine gun nests.
Dunham was hit by a rifle bullet but he continued to struggle up the hill.
"I left a trail of blood in the snow," he said. He fired his automatic rifle and threw hand grenades, knocking
out the enemy machine gun nests and saving the lives of more than 100 U.S. soldiers.
At the convention in Denver, he shared memories of his buddies from the World War II battlefield, including
his friend Sgt. Lucian Adams.
"Lucian and I received the Medal of Honor together," Dunham recalled. "Lucian's daughter, Grace, and I
are friends. She invited me to attend the Medal of Honor convention."
| Hero of the Years First Lady Honors Medal of Honor Recipient October 27, 2008 - 4:54 PM By ANDE YAKSTIS For The Telegraph |
