Former Marine to Receive Living Medal of Honor for Recovering Bodies of Fallen Soldiers During Firefight
- Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:10pm by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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A Marine who braved enemy gunfire alone to retrieve the bodies of four fallen members of his team will be awarded the Medal of Honor, according to the Marine Corps Times.
Former Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyer will be the third living recipient to receive the nation’s highest honor for actions in Afghanistan, and the first living Marine to receive it since the Vietnam War.
The Marine Corps Times reported:
Meyer, who left active-duty service in June 2010 as a corporal, will be honored for his actions Sept. 8, 2009. He charged into a kill zone on foot and alone to find three missing Marines and a Navy corpsman, who had been pinned down under intense enemy fire in Ganjgal, a remote village near the Pakistan border in violent Kunar province.
Already wounded by shrapnel, Meyer found them dead and stripped of their gear and weapons, and helped carry them from the kill zone, according to military documents obtained by Marine Corps Times.
According to Stars and Stripes, details about when the award will be presented have not been released.
Former Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta and Army Staff Sgt. Leroy Petry are the only other living Medal of Honor recipients for the war in Afghanistan. Giunta received his last fall and Petry was awarded the honor earlier this month.
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Comments (109)
DarkFire
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:21pmCongrats and thank you for you service, and thank all the men and women who serve this great nation of ours.
Report Post »Patrick in AZ
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 12:15amWhat is a “living” medal of honor?
Report Post »Gorp
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 12:57amMost Medal of Honor recipients are dead when they get the Medal. It is very rare that a living person gets a Medal of Honor.
Report Post »Puppy
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 1:21am“Living Medal of Honor”; when you survive the ordeal…most recipients are awarded it posthumously (after death). This guy is a real hero!
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 8:20amMost medal of honors are giving after the person is dead…..a living medal of honor means the recipient is still alive to receive it.
Report Post »Mil-Dot
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 9:43amYou don’t need to call it a “living Medal of Honor”. Geez. It is The Congressional Medal of Honor. You either get it or you don’t. If you get it after you are killed in action it is said to be given posthumously. Period. Please don’t play with words with something so important.
Report Post »evilpa
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 1:02pmThere have only been 859 Medals of Honor awarded, and more than half of all Medals of Honor have been presented posthumously. Today , I believe, there are only 86 living recipients. God bless them all, and all of our brave sons and daughters who are serving and have served our country.
Report Post »PelositheGreat
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:11pmTHIS is what Democracy looks like
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:28pmthis commenter is what a mental midget sounds like
Report Post »bry
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 7:37am@Psychosis
Picking your screen name is most likely the only thing you have ever done right.
Report Post »flaboater1
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 7:48amwe live in a republic
Report Post »BuckeyeWithA45
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:08pmWell done corpral well done indeed
Report Post »Libertarian
Posted on July 22, 2011 at 1:10pmWow, a hero in actions and now in words.
Report Post »CorpsmanToPA
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:08pmSemper Fi Brother – Thank you for your commitment and sacrifice.
Report Post »Sound The Trumpet In Zion
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:02pmCpl. Dakota Meyer – You brought new meaning to the words – NO MAN LEFT BEHIND! Job well done soldier!
Report Post »G3L
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:17pmSEMPER FI! My brother, God Bless you, your family, America and the corps. Now we have one more name to be added to the hall of heros.
Report Post »papaweez
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:51pmBravo Zulu is not near praise enough Shipmate! Thank you for your service!!!
Report Post »shakenbake
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:46pmOnce a Marine always a Marine. God bless you Cpl Meyer! S/F
Report Post »Ffatcat
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:41pmGood job marine!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:40pmBlaze editors — when the rest of the story is released, please put it up for all of us to read. We need to have more hero’s such as he is. Real life hero’s of people in the most incredibly dangerous position and who rise above the norm to carry it out.
Report Post »wordweaver
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:35pmWell done, Marine. Not so well done, Blaze headline writer. For one thing, there is no such thing as a former Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine (even after leaving active duty). But even worse, your wording seems to indicate that he is receiving a “living” medal of honor, which of course is no way to describe an inanimate object. I’m sure you meant to communicate that the Marine is alive to receive the medal.
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:32pmcome on blaze post the stuff
Report Post »CHAOS_71
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:32pmFormer Marine????? What is that anyways????? COME ON BLAZE!!!!!!!!!! Once a Marine Always a Marine!!!!!!!!! This is what separates us from the rest of the other military branches!!!! We will NEVER leave someone behide NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!!! That is the MARINE CORPS Way!!!! We bring everyone home. SEMPER FI AND CARRY ON MARINE!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:39pmIndeed once a marine always a marine; this marine did what any would have done for their buddies at any time — never leave anyone behind — never. I was raised on stories of the Marines, and the tales of my grandfather who served in the Pacific of WW2; he was due to leave the corp when the attack at Pearl happened, and he stayed until the end of the war.
Thank you Marine for having served; and to all of the armed force members, living and fallen who have served. And to all of those serving now, a great thank you as well.
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:48pmActually it should be: Once a JARHEAD; always a JARHEAD!
With great respect!!!!
Report Post »finnigan
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 6:00amMarines do believe “Once a Marine, always a Marine” but I don’t think they are the only military branch that feels that way. I separated from active duty in the U.S. Army in 1985 and I will be a soldier till the Lord calls me home.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 8:23amTrue, and I think it’s true of any branch of service. I’ve been out of the Navy for 26 years, and still refer to myself as a sailor. Old Navy, now. haha
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:31pmWe were talking about him in my shop today, that is crazy awesome what he did. It’s good to see that the Medal of Honor will finally be given to another person who made it out alive. I couldn‘t believe the marine who did the same thing as Jason Dunham didn’t receive the medal because the grenade didnt go off.
Report Post »Uncurable wound
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:31pmYou make us Proud brother…
Report Post »cookcountypatriot
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:29pmsemper fi marine….god bless you ,,your family and the corps….
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:24pmWell done SIR.
Report Post »Thank YOU for living up to the Highest Standards of a Marine.
tower7femacamp
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:30pmGenerals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death’s construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh lord yeah!
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait ’til their judgement day comes
Yeah!
Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees the war pig’s crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
Oh lord yeah!
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/black+sabbath/#share
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:31pmyou know I am the only one that will say this
Report Post »I hope he is not Gay
tower7femacamp
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:32pmIt’s a shame that with the current president you have to wonder always what is the agenda ?
Report Post »Xpat48
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:23pmAmerica loves you!
Report Post »Mizurax
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:21pmTruly Honorable.
Report Post »GadsdenPatriot
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:21pmThe courage it takes to do what you did knowing it must certainly mean your own death is extraordinary. I can only imagine what you’d do for the living. I salute and thank you, Cpl. Dakota Meyer!
Report Post »Xpat48
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:20pmSimper-Fi my fellow Marine!
( 66-67, 69 )
You are who made us proud again.
It’s the “Corps”.
Report Post »erikthecrosshairjunky
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:20pmNow that’s a Great Hero! He needs an endorsement deal instead of the useless sudo stars like Kardashian or Beber.
Report Post »poppinbeaners
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:20pmIndeed! Hats off to you.
Report Post »BannedByHuffpo
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:18pmLibs and leftie parents will wish they could raise a son with such integrity and courage. Alas, their snot-nosed, granola crunching little crybaby will grow up with nothing but disdain for “the man”.
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:26pmIdiot.
Report Post »samurai2112
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:59pmTheir idea of courage is a few stories down. The SF police shooting. I’ll take just one marine over all those pukes any day. Carry On.
Report Post »TumbleBumble
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:25pmBANNEDBYHUFFPO ~
Your comment reminded me of an episode of Wife Swap. Stephen Fowler, who is a liberal elitist, had said that low class people (referring to those of us who live in the midwest) are needed to feed the military. They are above serving our country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhzMZ0Jdylk&feature=related
Watch between 2:40 to 3:05.
Report Post »Pelling1020
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:16pmSemper Fi !!!!
Report Post »bigdave54
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:15pmI salute Cpl. Dakota Meyer!
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