Meyer Prepares To Receive Medal of Honor (Video)

Dakota Meyer, 23, will receive the Medal of Honor next week at the White House. He’ll be honored for his actions in the infamous Battle of Ganjgal, a six-hour ambush and firefight that killed some of his best friends on Sept. 8, 2009, in Kunar province, Afghanistan.

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Meyer, a sergeant in the Individual Ready Reserve, will become the first living Marine recipient of the nation’s highest valor award for actions in Iraq and Afghanistan when he receives the medal Sept. 15. No living Marine has received the medal since 1973.

The announcement has freed Meyer to talk — reluctantly — on the record about the battle. He braved enemy fire multiple times while making four trips into the kilometer-long Ganjgal Valley. The military credits him with fighting his way in a Humvee from a rear security position into the valley, where fellow members of Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8 were pinned down under fire and pleading unsuccessfully with officers at a rear base for fire support.

Each time, Meyer evacuated coalition troops from the kill zone. That meant leaving the vehicle in the face of a hail of gunfire, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades. He killed at least eight insurgents, and pulled 12 Afghan soldiers from the kill zone into his vehicle during the first three trips — all before braving enemy fire one last time to find missing Marines and a corpsman. To his horror, he found them shot to death in a trench on a hillside terrace. More @ Marinecorptimes.com

Have you ever wanted to see what a hero looks like? Meet Dakota Meyer.

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This guy ran a mile-long gauntlet coming under fire from small arms, heavy machine guns, and RPGs FOUR TIMES in order to rescue his brother Marines and the Afghan soldiers they were training. That is straight up John Wayne, and Meyer would have made ol' Chesty Puller proud.

I just thought it was high time that some positive attention was paid to those who serve this country with honor and bravery; so this thread is dedicated to Sergeant Meyer and ALL of our brave men and women who do that every single day.

Semper Fi Devil Dog! [atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c5309e3258d5.gif[/atsimg]

In the spirit of John Basilone and all those who came before him.

Originally posted by SirMike
In the spirit of John Basilone and all those who came before him.

No way would I have wanted to have been in the Pacific during WWII. Those guys lived through Hell on Earth (those who did live.)

Funny, in a messed up kinda way, that a thread about a 4-year-old war crime that's already seen the perpetrators prosecuted has more replies than this one. ONE reply other than my own.

I guess we don't need heroes anymore.

Shamless bump.

What a brave man,only thinking of his brothers on the battle field.A natural cool headed warrior,with lady luck on his side that day!Im sure even the enemy over there would say what a brave man he is

Originally posted by noangels
What a brave man,only thinking of his brothers on the battle field.A natural cool headed warrior,with lady luck on his side that day!Im sure even the enemy over there would say what a brave man he is

Not only his brothers, but his "students" too; the Afghan National Army troops he was training.

I'm going to keep on bumping this thread until the man gets the respect he's earned. Maybe a mod or admin would be kind enough to pin it for a day or two, or even a week. I mean come on, this is the first Marine to earn a MOH - and live to tell about it - in 50 years. That kind of bravery just HAS to be recognized.

Semper Fi indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And makes me even prouder that he disobeyed an order to do what was right.

A medal well deserved.

reply to post by OldCorp


This is what a true hero looks like. Soldiers don't make the policies they just do a job few people can ever imagine.

Thanks for the post OP.

reply to post by jam321

reply to post by Subjective Truth


And thank you both for keeping the thread alive by voicing your support.

OOH RAH!!!

reply to post by OldCorp


Just wanted to bump this to show my respect.

Originally posted by Lorienth
reply to post by OldCorp

 

Just wanted to bump this to show my respect.

Thank you Lorienth.

And today, Meyer rang the opening bell on Wall Street.

Bumpitty bump