In a rare move for the U.S. military, Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer has re-enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve after 15 years out of uniform. Meyer says the decision comes from a deep sense of unfinished duty and a desire to inspire others to serve.
“There’s never been a better time to serve our country than right now,” Meyer said Friday on “America’s Newsroom.”
“There’s never been a need, like we need right now, of good men and women who are willing to stand up and who are willing defend the beliefs of the American people, of the Constitution, and to protect all of those things against whatever enemy that is willing to try to step up and to try and threaten that.”
Meyer received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during a deadly 2009 battle in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. Amid intense gunfire, he repeatedly drove into the combat zone in a Humvee to rescue fellow Marines and Afghans, saving dozens of lives. He was awarded the nation’s highest military honor by President Barack Obama in 2011.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth administered the oath of enlistment during a ceremony at the Pentagon. Meyer, now 36, re-enters service with the same rank he held on active duty, sergeant, and will serve as an infantryman in the reserves.
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“It hasn’t been a single day since I got out 15 years ago that I didn’t wake up and truly want to serve again,” Meyer said. “I didn’t want to do it because of the rank. I didn’t want to do it for recognition. I just did it because the mission never left me.”
Hegseth noted that Meyer didn’t request a public ceremony, but that his return to service deserved to be recognized.
“I want the American people. I want your fellow Marines. I want other service members to look at the example and say … you are never too experienced, you’ve never done too much that you can’t continue to contribute,” Hegseth said.
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“He’s not just signing up to sign up and be on a recruiting poster, he’s signing up to do the real thing, which again, is yet another testament to who he is and what he represents.”
Meyer is among the very few Medal of Honor recipients in U.S. history to return to military service.
He also hopes his decision will resonate with young Americans considering military careers.
“Becoming a Marine is by far one of the greatest accomplishments of my life,” he said. “It’s an honor to serve next to the people. It’s an honor to be able to serve the purpose. And it’s an honor to be part of the organization.”
Meyer’s re-enlistment comes as military recruitment has become a growing concern for Pentagon leaders in recent years. Secretary Hegseth says the U.S. Army shattered previous recruiting records, with December 2024 being the most productive December in over a decade.
Defense officials note the recruiting rise began even before the current administration took office. Former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, who served until January, told Fox News that the increase started earlier in 2024, prior to the election.
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Meyer believes the surge is a sign that Americans are searching for meaning.
“People out there right now are looking for a place, they want to be part of something bigger than themselves,” he said. “They [want to] be part of the greater good. And I think our military is a place where they are able to go find that.”