PHOTO CAPTION: Roy Dunn Jr., left, Roy Dunn and Aminta Dunn, right, of Moreno Valley, constructed a memorial in their front yard for Army Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn II, 22, who was killed Saturday in Iraq. Amanda Lucidon / The Press-Enterprise

Moreno Valley soldier killed in Iraq

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 29, 2007

By MELISSA EISELEIN

The Press-Enterprise

Clayton G. Dunn II's passion was running. He was a track star in high school and ran in college. And after he joined the Army, he often talked about running.

During his senior year at Rialto High School in 2003, he set the Division I Citrus Belt League record in the 1,600-meter race. That record still stands, said his former track coach, Marie Albert.

On Saturday, Sgt. Dunn, 22, of Moreno Valley, and two other soldiers were killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle, while they were on patrol in Salah ad-Din province in Iraq.

Sgt. Dunn was a fire-team leader with the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, home-based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Also killed were Spc. Michael J. Jaurigue, 20, of Texas City, Texas; and Spc. Gregory N. Millard, 22, of San Diego.

Sgt. Dunn was a 2003 Rialto High School graduate. During his time on the school's track team, he served as a leader and a source of encouragement, said his friend Buddy Rogers, 19, of San Bernardino.

"He inspired me to keep running. I wanted to quit so many times," Rogers said. "Now I hold the 800(-meter Citrus Belt League) record. If it weren't for him, I never would have run that race."

Albert said Sgt. Dunn was a quiet, polite student, but one who wasn't shy about taking charge during practice and competition.

"The other kids respected him," Albert said. "He motivated his teammates to work hard in practice, and they were friends outside of practice. He was an all-around good person, and he will be deeply missed."

Sgt. Dunn was a 2003 nominee for the Ken Hubbs Award, which honors top male athletes from all high schools in San Bernardino. One athlete from each school is nominated.



Sgt. Dunn was on the cross-country team while attending San Bernardino Valley College.

Roy Dunn, who retired from the Army with 22 years of military service, said he did not want his son to follow in his footsteps, but he said he was not surprised when his son enlisted in 2004. From the time he was a small boy, Sgt. Dunn would dress up in his father's combat helmet and play soldier. Being in the military was a lifelong dream for Sgt. Dunn, Roy Dunn said.

Now, the helmet Sgt. Dunn played with as a small child hangs on a white, wooden cross in Roy and Aminta Dunn's front yard. Roy Dunn also decorated the memorial with a pair of his combat boots, a military belt and two American flags.

"It's a memorial for a soldier, from a soldier," Roy Dunn said.

Sgt. Dunn is survived by his wife, Haidy, 23, and 3-month-old daughter, Grace, both living with Haidy's parents in San Bernardino. He also has a younger brother, Roy Dunn Jr., who lives in Moreno Valley.

"My youngest son idolized his brother. I don't mind. If he needs an idol, I couldn't possibly pick a better one for him," Roy Dunn said.

Sgt. Dunn's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal with one oak-leaf cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Parachutist's Badge.

Services are pending.

Reach Melissa Eiselein at 951-567-2409 or meiselein@PE.com

Clayton G. Dunn II, 22, was killed Saturday in Iraq. "The other kids respected him," said Marie Albert, a high school coach.

Amanda Lucidon / The Press-Enterprise

PHOTO CAPTION: Roy Dunn of Moreno Valley sits next to the memorial he built at his home for his son, Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn, 22, who died in Iraq. Jennifer Soliz, The Desert Sun

Area soldier killed in Iraq

Colin Atagi

The Desert Sun

May 30, 2007

Outside a Moreno Valley home Tuesday sat a cross covered in flowers, balloons and military gear - a lasting memorial for Army Sgt. Clayton Dunn.

"That's a memorial from a soldier for a soldier outside," said Roy Dunn, the 22-year-old's father.

"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," said Roy Dunn, a retired Sgt. 1st Class.

His son died Saturday in Salah Ad Din Province of Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense reported. The 2003 Rialto High School graduate was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Taking a walk through the Dunn home provided additional insight on the type of person Clayton Dunn was.

A prayer shrine, complete with photos of Clayton in uniform and a banner with his military team's name, was found on the living room piano. Family photos decorated the hallways, while Star Wars action figures and track and field medals and certificates hung in his bedroom.

Clayton Dunn enjoyed competitive running, his father said. And whenever he competed, he served as a leader and supported his teammates, which Roy Dunn attributed to his son's respectfulness.

"He's the type of kid in today's society who would open doors for women," he said. "There's only one way to get respect and that's to show respect, and he knew it."

His military superiors agreed.

"As a paratrooper and team leader, Sgt. Clayton Dunn had no peer," Capt. Matt Chitty said in a statement released by the 82nd Airborne. "Clayton was completely devoted to his men and his unit and was a superb team leader."

He was also a family man. Clayton Dunn leaves behind his 23-year-old wife, Haidy, and 3-month-old daughter, Grace.

Dunn enjoyed working with family members to build 3-D puzzles. Completed puzzles, such as the Sears Tower and the U.S. Capitol building, adorn the living room.

"Now that he's gone, it's just going to be three people (working on the puzzles)," Clayton Dunn's mother, Aminta, said of herself, her husband and their 18-year-old son, Roy Jr.

Nonetheless, her son died after leading a successful life, she said.

"We want to remember him with his beautiful face," she said.

HIS UNHOLINESS (GEORGE WARMONGER BUSH) : "Sorry to Oil the Bush Surge in Iraq Massacures, the Bush Surge in CIA Planting of Bombs in Iraqi Cars, the Bush Surge in Flag Draped Coffins, the Bush Surge in Lost Limbs, the Bush Surge in Gas Price Gouging, the Bush Surge in Iraq Oil Contracts for US Oil Companies, and the Continuing Bush Oil For Bombs and Torture Program in Iraq but Oil comes First. READY TO REVIL WITH THE DEVIL ????????"

This is what the masters have practiced since the beginning of time The methodical removal, from the human gene, the courageous among us.

From wolves to retrievers we are culled and bred. So that we may be ruled the easier.