Sgt. Dakota Meyer, the only Medal of Honor recipient currently serving in the Marine Corps, graduated from the Basic Reconnaissance Course at Camp Pendleton, California, on Friday, earning the 0321 Military Occupational Specialty as a reconnaissance Marine.
The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Carlos A. Ruiz attended the graduation ceremony for BRC Class 2-26 and posted about Meyer's accomplishment in a social media post that day.
Meyer, 37, shared the announcement in a post on his Instagram account with the caption, "No quit. No shortcuts. No looking back."
From Infantryman to Recon Marine
The graduation caps a remarkable return to the Corps for Meyer, who left active duty in 2010 after two combat deployments. He spent 15 years as a civilian before reenlisting in the Marine Corps Reserve on April 17, 2025, at the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth administered Meyer's oath of enlistment, with Ruiz and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also present. Meyer came back at the rank of sergeant and initially returned as an infantryman.
His completion of the reconnaissance course now changes that. The 12-week program trains Marines in the core skills of amphibious reconnaissance and is widely considered one of the most physically punishing courses in the Corps.
Students face an average training day exceeding 15 hours across 69 days total. Requirements include a 12-mile forced march under a 50-pound load completed within three hours and a timed 1.25-mile open-water swim with fins.
Meyer told reporters at his reenlistment ceremony that his decision came down to integrity. He recalled encouraging a young Marine at an NCO course to stay in the service, then turning the question on himself.
"How could I ask them to continue to serve and sacrifice without doing it myself?" Meyer said.
The Medal of Honor and the Road Back
Meyer grew up in Columbia, Kentucky, and enlisted in 2006 after graduating from Green County High School. He deployed to Iraq in 2007 as a scout sniper with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines before a second deployment to Afghanistan's Kunar Province.
On Sept. 8, 2009, Meyer drove into a kill zone outside the village of Ganjgal five times over the course of six hours, pulling wounded troops to safety and recovering the bodies of fallen service members. President Barack Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor at the White House on Sept. 15, 2011, making him the first living Marine to receive the decoration since the Vietnam War.
Meyer left active duty in 2010 and later co-authored "Into the Fire," a New York Times bestselling account of the battle. He spent the next 15 years as a firefighter, a veterans' advocate and was a regular presence at military installations, where he spoke to active-duty troops about leadership and resilience
"Still today, at my age, joining the Marine Corps is the single greatest thing that I have ever done," Meyer said.
