Ep. 26 David Kniess, director of The Gift: The story of MOH recipient Jason Dunham

On a red-eye flight to Connecticut in 2003 David Kniess sat next to a young Marine who introduced himself as Jason Dunham. David immediately sensed something special about Jason and knew that he would inevitably be deploying to the Iraq war in the near future. Six months later David found Jason’s name among a list of those killed in action in Iraq in 2004. It was later learned that on April 14th 2004 during an insurgent attack Jason had used his body and kevlar helmet to shield his fellow Marines from a grenade blast that ultimately took his life. On January 11th 2007 Jason Dunham was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

David’s initial meeting with Jason on a random flight in 2003 would lead to the start of an award-winning documentary 20 years in the making titled “The Gift,” recounting Dunham’s sacrifice in the line of duty and his lasting impact on the lives of those around him. On this episode David shares his experience of taking on the privilege and honor to tell Jason Dunham's story to the word.