Marine Commandant Reaffirms MOH for Dakota Meyer

December 20, 2011

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Dakota Meyer MOH Recipient

H/T Rees Lloyd who sent me this link to the Marine Commandant’s statement on the Medal of Honor to Dakota Meyer. The MOH has been the subject of several news reports lately asserting the young Marine didn’t deserve the honor. 

The Marine Corps has reviewed the investigations, the many and varied statements from those who observed the battle in the Ganjgal Valley, the statements of those who participated in pieces of that battle, as well as the multiple reviews and endorsements confirming that Sgt Meyer exhibited the rare..

More after the jump:

courage and selflessness worthy of our nation’s highest military honor.  The ambush and ensuing six hour firefight was without a doubt a life defining event for those present that Fall morning.  As such, the fight was seen and subsequently recorded from many different perspectives, each with a personal view of how events unfolded.   This thorough review did not cause me to question the extraordinary heroism of then 21-year-old Corporal Meyer, nor the worthiness of the award; just the opposite occurredSworn testimonies substantiated the events of that morning and the extreme heroism of Dakota Meyer.  The facts are that he saved many lives and recovered the bodies of his fallen comrades.  In this, he did not act alone; other brave warriors-soldiers and Marines and Afghans-were also in the fight.
In the final analysis, I did not find cause to question any single fact, nor minor discrepancy that may be buried in descriptions of a battle that lasted for hours and evoked such bravery in our troops.  My only question is – where do we find such men?
Gen. James F. Amos
35th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps

From Wiki:

On September 8, 2009, near the village of Ganjgal, Meyer learned that three U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman were missing after being ambushed by a group of insurgents. He charged into an area known to be inhabited by insurgents and under enemy fire. Meyer eventually found all four dead and stripped of their weapons, body armor, and radios.[5] With the help of some friendly Afghan soldiers, he moved the bodies to a safer area where they could be extracted.[6] During his search, Meyer “personally evacuated 12 friendly wounded, and provided cover for another 24 Marines and soldiers to escape likely death at the hands of a numerically superior and determined foe.”

“Where do we find such men?”

Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com