April 16, 1952 – Near Panmunjom, Korea.
Under the cover of darkness, the enemy surged forward in overwhelming numbers, raining fire upon Marine positions. Amid the chaos, Corporal Duane E. Dewey, a machine gunner with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, was already wounded and receiving medical attention when death came hurtling toward him—a live grenade landed beside him and the Navy corpsman treating his wounds.
Despite his pain, Dewey didn’t hesitate.
He pulled the corpsman to the ground and shouted a warning to those nearby. Then, with unimaginable courage, he threw himself onto the grenade, shielding his fellow Marines from the blast with his own body.
By all odds, Dewey should have died that night. But he lived—and so did the men he saved.
For this act of extraordinary bravery and self-sacrifice, Corporal Duane E. Dewey became the first American to receive the Medal of Honor from President Dwight D. Eisenhower in person.
When asked how he found the strength to do what he did, Dewey once replied:
"You just react. It’s your buddies. You do what you have to do."
Say his name. Remember his courage.

DUANE EDGAR DEWEY

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