Dakota Meyer Reenlists in Marines at 36, Becomes 1st Medal of Honor Recipient to Return
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Nov 11
Dakota Meyer Reenlists in Marines at 36, Becomes 1st Medal of Honor Recipient to Return
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 11
Summary
Dakota Meyer said he reenlisted in the Marine Corps in 2025 after 15 years out of uniform, later completing reconnaissance training in his late 30s.
The 36-year-old said the decision grew from a lasting desire to serve and from a promise to himself after telling a younger Marine at Camp Pendleton that continued service was still worth it.
Meyer, who received the Medal of Honor for repeated rescue trips during the 2009 Battle of Ganjgal in Afghanistan, said leaving the Marines in 2010 led to years of struggling with purpose and the aftermath of war.
At 38, he called recon training among the hardest things he has done and said the experience left him impressed by younger Marines, rejecting claims that the next generation is weaker.