Marine Cpl. Joshua R. Dumaw

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Cpl. Joshua R. Dumaw, 23, of Spokane Valley, Wash.

Cpl. Dumaw was assigned to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.; died June 22, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Nimruz province, Afghanistan.

A Cherry Point Marine killed in Afghanistan Tuesday was to have become a father for the first time later this year.

Cpl. Joshua R. Dumaw, 23, of Spokane Valley, Wash., died while supporting combat operations in Nimruz province, according to a release from the Department of Defense. Dumaw was assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Cherry Point.

Stacie McGarvey of Spokane Valley, Wash., a family friend, said that Dumow’s wife, Kailyn Dumaw, is pregnant with their first child, which is due in September.

She said the couple had already settled on a named for their son, Bode Alexzandyr Dumaw. The young Marine wanted his son’s initials to be B-A-D, “because he wanted his son to be bad,” McGarvey said.

McGarvey said the young couple met through Facebook.

“She just sparkled when she looked at him and he did, too,” she said. “They were in love. They had decided to spend their life together and have a family and they were very excited together to be having a baby. He anticipated being home for the birth of his son.”

McGarvey said Dumaw gave up an opportunity to work in his family business to join the Marine Corps.

“His family has a thriving business in town and he probably could have had an opportunity to participate in that company, but he chose instead to serve his country and I always thought that was a pretty commendable thing,” McGarvey said. “It kind of shows the type of person he was.”

McGarvey said that Dumaw’s mother, Jennifer Gorman, traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Thursday to receive her son’s remains.

Dumaw is a graduate of West Valley High School in Spokane Valley. McGarvey said Dumaw was an avid snowboarder, liked to play basketball and went on frequent camping trips with family and friends.

“He was a great kid,” she said. “He was always smiling and happy. Josh was like the older of all the kids.

“The thing about Josh was he was always looking out after the little kids, taking them camping. We would all camp together, and Josh would never let any of the little kids feel left out.”

McGarvey said that an improvised explosive device killed the Marine.

“My understanding is that they were trying to secure an area and they saw what they suspected to be an IED, and Joshua ended up stepping on a second one that they didn’t know was there,” McGarvey said. “His mother informed me (Thursday) night that he’s going to receive the Purple Heart.”

According to family members, Dumaw and his platoon were "in an area that was unoccupied by the U.S. and had not been swept, when they came across and I.E.D." Family members say Dumaw's friend was by his side before encountering the IED, and Dumaw was "laughing and joking...before he left us."

Dumaw was diligent in keeping his family and friends informed on his welfare while deployed. He posted a thank you message on Facebook on June 16, less than a week before he was killed.

“hey everybody thank you for the b day comments it really helps!!!! sorry i don't get to talk to you at all, were busy out here!!! but i think of all of you all the time i miss and love y'all ill be home soon.”

McGarvey said the family has received numerous condolences.

“On behalf of the family, we thank everybody for their well wishes and their condolences,” she said. “He was very proud of what he was doing.”

Dumaw’s mother, Jennifer Gorman, of Spokane Valley, told family friends he will likely receive a Purple Heart, and that he will eventually be brought back to Fairchild Air Force Base, where he will be welcomed by the honor guard.

“He was always one of those kids that shined,” said Stacie McGarvey, who spoke on Gorman’s behalf.

Gorman, who was on her way to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Thursday to greet Dumaw’s body as it arrived, declined to comment.

The family was overwhelmed and grateful for the condolences and thoughts pouring in from all over, McGarvey said.

Dumaw had completed previous tours of duty in Iraq, but this was his first tour in Afghanistan. He had planned to return home in a few months for the birth of his son, due in September. The couple had decided to name the boy Bode Alexzandyr Dumaw, so that his initials would be BAD.

“He wanted his son to be B-A-D,” McGarvey said. Josh Dumaw was married less than a year.

McGarvey said Dumaw had enlisted in the Marine Corps right after high school.

“He was very proud of what he was doing, serving his country,” McGarvey said.

Ashley Byrd, a longtime family friend, said Dumaw was the guy known for helping everybody out.

“He was the nicest guy I ever met. He would always have a smile on his face,” Byrd said. “He’s going to be loved and missed by everybody.”

Dumaw enlisted in the Marine Corps in June of 2007, according to Capt. Abe Sipe of Cherry Point’s Public Affairs Office.

Dumaw was a military police officer assigned to MP Company for the air wing.

He citations include the Good Conduct Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon. Sipe said Dumaw may have also earned other medals that haven’t as yet gone through the system.

Capt.Sipe said a memorial for Dumaw at Cherry Point is being planned, but a time and date have yet to be set

Marine Cpl. Joshua R. Dumaw was killed in action on 6/22/10.