34356757 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
32205137 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
38489422 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
22885761 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
36341334 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
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35889175 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
93832544 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
81582037 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
90980521 FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Dakota Meyer ~ September 19, 2011
For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday … Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow 's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Dakota Meyer Info from here. Dakota L. Meyer (born June 26, 1988) is a United States Marine Corps veteran and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009, part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Kunar province, Afghanistan. Meyer was born in Columbia, Kentucky, and after completing training to be a United States Marine he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007 as a Scout Sniper with 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines. He gained national attention for his actions in Afghanistan during his second deployment in Kunar province with Embedded Training Team 2-8. On September 8, 2009, near the village of Ganjgal, Meyer learned that three US Marines and a US 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. With the help of some friendly Afghan soldiers, he moved the bodies to a safer area where they could be extracted. According to his Medal of Honor citation, 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. "On November 6, 2010, the Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos told reporters during a visit to Camp Pendleton, California, that a living Marine had been nominated for the Medal of Honor. Two days later, Marine Corps Times, an independent newspaper covering US Marine operations, reported that the unnamed individual was Meyer, citing anonymous sources. CNN confirmed the story independently two days later. On June 9, 2011, the Marine Corps announced that two other Marines on Meyer 's team in Ganjgal would receive the Navy Cross, the second-highest award for valor a Marine can receive. Capt. Ademola D. Fabayo and Staff Sgt. Juan J. Rodriguez-Chavez were recognized for their roles in retrieving the Marines and corpsman. Before Meyer went looking for the missing men on foot, Rodriguez-Chavez drove a gun truck into the kill zone, with Fabayo manning its machine gun. On July 18, 2011, President Barack Obama called Meyer and informed him his case for the Medal of Honor had been approved. Meyer told the President to please call him back on his lunch break, which he later did. Dakota then returned to working his construction job. Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor in a ceremony on September 15, 2011. Meyer requested to meet President Obama during the review for the ceremony, and the two ended up sharing beers together at the White House. Meyer also requested that when he was honored, simultaneous commemorative services should be held at other associated locations to honor the memory of his colleagues who died or were mortally wounded during the ambush and his rescue attempts. Four Americans died in the ambush: 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, a 25-year-old from Virginia Beach; Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick, 30, of Roswell, Ga.; Corpsman James Layton, 22, of Riverbank, Calif.; And Edwin Wayne Johnson Jr. , A 31-year-old gunnery sergeant from Columbus, Ga. A fifth man, Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook, 41, of Shiprock, NM, later died from his wounds. Medal of Honor citation "The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to CORPORAL DAKOTA L. MEYER UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS For service as set forth in the following A light blue neck ribbon with a gold star shaped medallion hanging from it. The ribbon is similar in shape to a bowtie with 13 white stars in the center of the ribbon. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the repeated risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a member of Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September 2009. When the forward element of his combat team began to be hit by intense fire from roughly 50 Taliban insurgents dug-in and concealed on the slopes above Ganjgal village, Corporal Meyer mounted a gun-truck, enlisted a fellow Marine to drive, and raced to attack the ambushers and aid the trapped Marines and Afghan soldiers. During a six hour fire fight, Corporal Meyer single-handedly turned the tide of the battle, saved 36 Marines and soldiers and recovered the bodies of his fallen brothers. Four separate times he fought the kilometer up into the heart of a deadly U-shaped ambush. During the fight he killed at least eight Taliban, 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. On his first foray his lone vehicle drew machine gun, mortar, rocket grenade and small arms fire while he rescued five wounded soldiers. His second attack disrupted the enemy's ambush and he evacuated four more wounded Marines. Switching to another gun-truck because his was too damaged they again sped in for a third time, and as turret gunner killed several Taliban attackers at point blank range and suppressed enemy fire so 24 Marines and soldiers could break-out. Despite being wounded, he made a fourth attack with three others to search for missing team members. Nearly surrounded and under heavy fire he dismounted the vehicle and searched house to house to recover the bodies of his fallen team members. By his extraordinary heroism, presence of mind amidst chaos and death, and unselfish devotion to his comrades in the face of great danger, Corporal Meyer reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. " Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families. This is a politics-free zone! Thanks for helping us in our mission!
