QUANTICO — Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer came to Quantico to speak about the demons of depression.
The 30-year-old Marine spoke at the “Heroes Among Us” event Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. He shared his story of loss, and recovery after losing his fellow Marines in a gunfight, and later, his marriage.
“It was a bad day from the start,” recalled Meyer, as he spoke of the September 2009 day when his team in Iraq came under fire by a group of insurgents from a village who had falsely told U.S. leaders they wanted to disavow the Taliban and from an alliance.
His group, including 1st Lt. Micheal Johnson, 25, of Virginia Beach ambushed. Meyer pulled their bodies from the hellfire.
“On September 9, I got out of the Marine Corps. I lost everything. I put my five teammates into body bags,” he said.
Now back in the U.S., and after being presented with his medal, Meyer said he turned to alcohol to cope with his loss. The ailments of PTSD set in.
“I would wake up in the morning and take shots just to do this, what I’m doing right now,” Meyer told a crowd of 200 people who gathered in the Medal of Honor Theater inside the museum. “PTSD affects me every day. It cost me a marriage.”
Meyer was married to Bristol Palin, daughter of former Vice-Presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Meyer says his two daughters from the marriage helped him to “find personal perspective” in the fog of depression.
Quitting drinking, and frequent skydiving trips to Texas have also helped. “I’d rather go skydive than go to the bar and drink beers with my buddies,” he said.
Many of the veterans in the audience saluted him for his service to the country. Some stood in awe of his ability to talk about his experience in Iraq.
“How do you talk about it,” asked one man, haunted by the memory of his time there. “When I’m asked, “when was I in Iraq,’ the last time I was in Iraq was last night.”
“I wake up with puke in my bed at least one night a week,” Meyer replied. “Why do I do it? I do it because I know my teammates will live on in some way.”
He encouraged other combat veterans to talk about their experiences. “Combat vets make each other feel like its not normal to talk about it,” said Meyer.
At his lowest point, Meyer pulled his truck over to the side of a road, put a Glock pistol to his head and pulled the trigger. Unbeknownst to him, someone had unloaded the gun on the night before.
“I made a deal with myself: I told myself that if I put this truck back in drive, I would never go back,” said Meyer. “ I can’t stand the person who has PTSD and says they are the victim. You have to want to deal with it. The strong people talk about it.”
Meyer said he’s not interested in running for political office. His keynote address as part of the “Heroes Among Us” event for active duty military, veterans, and their families is part of a partnership between Meyer and Hiring Our Heroes.
