The fearless sergeant who won the Medal of Honor
Russell Dunham
1920–2009
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For 64 years, Russell Dunham carried in his body shrapnel that was a poignant reminder of the remarkable wartime exploits that won him the Medal of Honor. He died last week of congestive heart failure.
Born in East Carondelet, Ill., Dunham joined the Army in 1940, said The Washington Post. After seeing action in North Africa and Italy, Dunham, by then a sergeant, found himself in the small, snowy town of Kaysersberg, France, on Jan. 8, 1945, facing three German machine gun emplacements. “He took out the first bunker with a grenade. Advancing toward the second, he glanced around to call up his squad and a bullet hit him in the back, leaving a 10-inch gash.” Despite excruciating pain, Dunham crawled to the second emplacement, killing two Germans and capturing a third. By now his white-camouflage robe was “stained a conspicuous red.” Yet Dunham “ran 50 yards to the third emplacement” and destroyed it with another grenade.
Two weeks later Dunham was back fighting in the French town of Holtzwihr, said The New York Times. Surrounded by tanks, most of his men surrendered. Dunham “hid in a sauerkraut barrel outside a barn,” where two German soldiers discovered him. “While searching him they found a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and began to fight over it. They never noticed a pistol in his shoulder holster.” En route to a POW camp, one of his captors stopped at a bar. “The second soldier’s attention wandered and Dunham shot him in the head.” In subzero temperatures, he walked for two days until he reached the American lines, nearly losing his feet to frostbite. He received the Medal of Honor that April.
Dunham worked for 32 years with the Veterans Administration in St. Louis. He is survived by a daughter and two stepchildren.
-
The best dark romance books to gingerly embrace right nowThe Week Recommends Steamy romances with a dark twist are gaining popularity with readers
-
The ocean is getting more acidic — and harming sharks’ teethUnder the Radar ‘There is a corrosion effect on sharks’ teeth,’ a study’s author said
-
6 exquisite homes for skiersFeature Featuring a Scandinavian-style retreat in Southern California and a Utah abode with a designated ski room
-
Bob Weir: The Grateful Dead guitarist who kept the hippie flameFeature The fan favorite died at 78
-
Brigitte Bardot: the bombshell who embodied the new FranceFeature The actress retired from cinema at 39, and later become known for animal rights activism and anti-Muslim bigotry
-
Joanna Trollope: novelist who had a No. 1 bestseller with The Rector’s WifeIn the Spotlight Trollope found fame with intelligent novels about the dramas and dilemmas of modern women
-
Frank Gehry: the architect who made buildings flow like waterFeature The revered building master died at the age of 96
-
R&B singer D’AngeloFeature A reclusive visionary who transformed the genre
-
Kiss guitarist Ace FrehleyFeature The rocker who shot fireworks from his guitar
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
