Marine Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Dunning, 31, of Milpitas, Calif.
SSgt Dunning was assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Oct. 27, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
SSgt Dunning served as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Technician. He was killed while disarming a bomb that had been buried by insurgents in the Helmond province. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan.
SSgt Dunning graduated from Milpitas High School in 1998. Following in his father's and uncle's footsteps into the service, joining the Marines in 1999.
In 2010, SSgt Dunning was featured in a photo in Vanity Fair magazine showing him holding an Xbox controller that guids a remote control bomb disposal robot.
SSgt Dunning's awards and decorations include:
Purple Heart
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Combat Action Ribbon
Navy Unit Commendation
Good Conduct Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal
NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan
2 Letters of Appreciation
Certificate of Commendation
SSgt Dunning was laid to rest on November 4, in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
SSgt Dunning is survived by his parents, Tomoe and Robert; siblings, David and Joy; maternal grandparents, Yoshiko and Gary Watson of Japan; paternal grandparents, Jim and Olga Dunning; Marie and Carl.
Marine Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Dunning was killed in action on 10/27/11.
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