Tuesday September 25

One Marine’s Story of Going Beyond the Call of Duty: Dakota Meyer’s Into the Fire

By Tom Nevins

Dakota Meyer is a Marine, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, and a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is the highest award of valor in action against an enemy force. There are very few living recipients. Into the Fire is Dakota Meyer's account (along with military historian, Bing West) of how he achieved that citation.

Into the Fire takes no prisoners. Meyer is out to set the record straight about what happened to his team in the battle for Ganjigal, "a battle that resulted in the largest loss of American advisors, the highest number of distinguished awards for valor and the most controversial investigations for derelictions of duty in the entire Afghanistan war." The combat is intense, intimate, deadly, and detailed. From Bing West's note: "Most acts of bravery occur at a single point in time; Dakota rushed toward death, not once, not twice, but five times." Meyer chose to do this in an attempt to save his team and those fighting with them, and he was forced to do this due to the lack of available support from American and Afghani forces. "The senior officer in the Joyce TOC (Tactical Operation Center) later said, 'Without knowledge of the exact whereabouts of friendly forces, I did not feel it was worth the risk to clear the fires. That coupled with a lack of SA (Situational Awareness) in regards to the disposition of civilians in the area.' For the record, I believe this is total bullshit," Meyer writes.

Meyer was twenty-one years old when he was placed in this position, and unlike No Easy Day, the book about the SEAL team mission to kill Osama bin Laden, Meyer did not seek this mission out but found himself in a situation and circumstance beyond his wildest expectations. And, ultimately, Meyer feels he failed as it was his job to save his team, or die trying. Dakota Meyer is a Marine. This book will open eyes, raise eyebrows and, maybe, change minds. But, ultimately, Into the Fire is the story of what one individual is capable of achieving and the cost of such brave actions. I'm not sure I've ever read anything like it.