Cpl. Dakota Meyer U.S.M.C.

Former U.S.M.C. Cpl. Dakota Meyer will be the first living Marine to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.

Meyer, who left the Marine Corps in June 2010, was nominated for the medal after risking his life to race into the kill zone of a firefight to find three missing Marines and a Navy corpsman, Marine Corps Times reported earlier today after confirming the Leatherneck report.

The four men were already dead and stripped of their gear and equipment, according to the report. Along with friendly Afghan soldiers Meyer got the bodies away from the combat area where they could be flown out.

Cpl. Meyer’s actions brought great honor to his country and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps. His conduct and courage in battle honors not only himself and his family, but us all.