BATH – The parents of a young Marine who sacrificed his life to protect two fellow Marines were on hand at Bath Iron Works for a ceremony marking the start of construction on a ship that will bear their son’s name.

Jason Dunham, 22, of Scio, N.Y., was fatally injured in Iraq in 2004 when he threw himself on a grenade. He was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Dunham’s parents took part in Friday’s keel-laying ceremony for the destroyer Jason Dunham.