Army Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn II

Died May 26, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22, of Moreno Valley, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died May 26 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Cpl. Michael J. Jaurigue and Cpl. Gregory N. Millard.

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Paratroopers killed by bomb on patrol in Iraq

The Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The deaths of three 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers were announced on Memorial Day, hours after ceremonies were held on and around their Army post to remember other soldiers who died in combat.

The paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team died Saturday from injuries sustained when a bomb detonated while they patrolled in Iraq’s Salah ad Din province.

The division identified the victims as Cpl. Michael J. Jaurigue, 20, of Texas City, Texas; Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn II, 22, of Moreno Valley, Calif., and Cpl. Gregory N. Millard, 22, of San Diego.

Jaurique was an automatic rifleman who joined the division in August 2005. He is survived by his parents, Jose N. and Juana N. Jaurigue, of Texas City, Texas.

Dunn was a team leader described by his company commander as devoted to his soldiers. He joined the 82nd in September 2005.

Dunn is survived by his wife, Haidy C. Dunn; a 3-month-old daughter, Grace Haidy Dunn, of San Bernardino, Calif.; his father, Roy D. Dunn; his mother, Aminta Dunn, of Moreno Valley, Calif.; and a brother, Roy D. Dunn Jr.

Millard was an assistant machine gunner, who friends said knew no strangers and had a gift of gab. He came to the division in March 2005.

Millard is survived by his parents, Kevin D. and Jill Millard, of Ramona, Calif.; his brother and sister-in-law, Jason and Carolina Millard; his niece, Kaila; and his girlfriend, Lacey Martin.

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Moreno Valley dad mourns death of paratrooper son in Iraq

The Associated Press

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — Respect was the single word that best defined Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn, an Army paratrooper killed in Iraq during the Memorial Day weekend, family and friends said.

“He’s the type of kid in today’s society who would open doors for women. There’s only one way to get respect and that’s to show respect, and he knew it,” the 22-year-old’s grieving father Roy Dunn said.

The sergeant was killed May 26 in Salah Ad Din province of Iraq. Dunn was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

“As a paratrooper and team leader, Sgt. Clayton Dunn had no peer,” Capt. Matt Chitty said in a statement. “Clayton was completely devoted to his men and his unit and was a superb team leader.”

A cross planted in front of the Dunn family home was covered in flowers, balloons and military gear.

“That’s a memorial from a soldier for a soldier outside,” Roy Dunn, a retired Army sergeant, said of the shrine. “That cross will be up until I’m tired of it being in the front yard. And then, I will move it to the back yard where it will be permanently.”

Inside the home was a prayer shrine displaying photographs of Clayton Dunn in uniform and a banner with his military team’s name. “Star Wars” action figures and track and field medals and certificates hung in his bedroom.

“We want to remember him with his beautiful face,” his mother Aminta said.

Dunn also leaves a 23-year-old wife, Haidy; their 3-month-old daughter, Grace; and an 18-year-old brother, Roy Dunn Jr.