Dakota L Meyer
Dakota L Meyer was born on the 26th of June, 1988 in Columbia, Kentucky. He attended and graduated from Green County High School and in 2006, enlisted in the US Marine Corps at a recruiting station in Louisville. Dakota attended and completed his basic training at Paris Island and was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and twice to Afghanistan. It was on his second deployment that he would be with Embedded Training Team 2-8 in Kunar Province when, on the 8th of September, 2009, it was learned that three Marines and a Navy Corpsman were missing after an ambush. The actions that followed would be known as the Battle of Ganjgal and would earn Dakota the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September 2009. Corporal Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point while other members of his team moved on foot with two platoons of Afghan National Army and Border Police into the village of Ganjgal for a pre-dawn meeting with village elders. Moving into the village, the patrol was ambushed by more than 50 enemy fighters firing rocket propelled grenades, mortars, and machine guns from houses and fortified positions on the slopes above. Hearing over the radio that four U.S. team members were cut off, Corporal Meyer seized the initiative. With a fellow Marine driving, Corporal Meyer took the exposed gunner's position in a gun-truck as they drove down the steeply terraced terrain in a daring attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate the trapped U.S. team. Disregarding intense enemy fire now concentrated on their lone vehicle, Corporal Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle, some at near point blank range, as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area. During the first two trips, he and his driver evacuated two dozen Afghan soldiers, many of whom were wounded. When one machine gun became inoperable, he directed a return to the rally point to switch to another gun-truck for a third trip into the ambush area where his accurate fire directly supported the remaining U.S. personnel and Afghan soldiers fighting their way out of the ambush. Despite a shrapnel wound to his arm, Corporal Meyer made two more trips into the ambush area in a third gun-truck accompanied by four other Afghan vehicles to recover more wounded Afghan soldiers and search for the missing U.S. team members. Still under heavy enemy fire, he dismounted the vehicle on the fifth trip and moved on foot to locate and recover the bodies of his team members. Meyer's daring initiative and bold fighting spirit throughout the 6-hour battle significantly disrupted the enemy's attack and inspired the members of the combined force to fight on. His unwavering courage and steadfast devotion to his U.S. and Afghan comrades in the face of almost certain death reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Amos, told reporters on the 6th of November, 2010, that a living Marine had been nominated for the Medal of Honor and two other Marines on Dakota’s team would receive the nation’s second highest decoration for valor for their actions during the battle. These Marines were Ademola Fabayo and Juan Rodriguez-Chavez. As the story has been told by Dakota, when President Obama’s staff was trying to set up a time for Dakota to speak with the President, Dakota was at work and had them call back during his lunch break. He also was asked for any special requests and Dakota asked if he could have a beer the the President. That request was indeed granted on the 14th of September 2011 and the next day, Dakota received the Medal of Honor from President Obama. He had also requested that simultaneous commemorative services be held for those that died or were mortally wounded during the battle: 1st LT Michael Johnson, SSG Aaron Kenefick, GSG Edwin Wayne Johnson Jr, Hospital Corpsman Third Class James Layton, and Army SFC Kenneth Westbrook.
In 2012, Dakota and Bing West wrote a book called “Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War”. Dakota made a case for Army Captain William Swenson to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in the battle, which I will save for another episode. Dakota L Meyer got married in 2016 and is the father of three children.
