Dakota Meyer Graduates BRC

Dakota Meyer

Dakota Meyer – a name we all remember, the young Marine who was presented with the Medal of Honor for repeatedly re-entering an ambush in Ganjgal to rescue fallen fellow Marines back when he was 21 in 2009. President Obama presented him with the award in 2011. Long time ago, and he deserves a peaceful retirement from the Corps, right? Nope. He re-upped 15 years later as a Sergeant in the USMC Reserve.

The second-youngest living Medal of Honor recipient, who served as an active-duty Marine during the war in Afghanistan, graduated from the service’s Basic Reconnaissance Course on Friday at Camp Pendleton, according to a Facebook post from Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos A. Ruiz.

On Friday, Meyer earned the 0321 Military Occupational Specialty, the MOS designation for Reconnaissance Marine.

I am told by my  Marine son-in-law that this is the Marine’s equivalent of the Army Ranger school – not a fun or easy course for a young man to finish. But at 37?

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth administered Meyer’s oath of enlistment, with Ruiz and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also present. Meyer came back at the rank of sergeant and initially returned as an infantryman.https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/medal-honor-recipient-dakota-meyer-154232370.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Students face an average training day exceeding 15 hours across 69 days total. Requirements include a 12-mile forced march under a 50-pound load completed within three hours and a timed 1.25-mile open-water swim with fins.

You may wonder why he came back after a 15 year break in service.

Meyer told reporters at his reenlistment ceremony that his decision came down to integrity. He recalled encouraging a young Marine at an NCO course to stay in the service, then turning the question on himself.

“How could I ask them to continue to serve and sacrifice without doing it myself?” Meyer said.  Military.com

 

Category: Marines, Medal of Honor