WASHINGTON - A young Marine who defied orders so that he could save his buddies from an Afghan killing field was awarded the Medal of Honor on Thursday.
Retired Sgt. Dakota Meyer, a 23-year-old Kentuckian, received the nation's highest award for military valor in an East Room ceremony at the White House.
An unassuming young man, just 21 when he found himself in a fierce firefight, Meyer is the first living Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
President Obama brushed aside Meyer's guilt over the death of four Marine comrades in Afghanistan's Kunar Province on Sept. 8, 2009.
"Because of your honor, 36 men are alive today," Obama said. "Because of your courage, four fallen American heroes came home.
"You did your duty, above and beyond."
Meyer was a member of a Marine team training Afghan soldiers that walked into a predawn Taliban ambush.
Despite being ordered to hold his position, he and a fellow Marine drove into the firestorm five times to evacuate trapped comrades and retrieve the bodies of the fallen.
Meyer was promoted to sergeant but later left the Marine Corps and is a construction worker.
When Obama called him to inform him of the award, he asked to have a beer with the President. The two had their brews Wednesday on a White House patio.
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