we are extraordinarily proud of sergeant dakota meyer. today is only the third time during the wars in afghanistan and iraq that a recipient of the medal of honor has been able to accept it in person, and we are honored to be joined by one of the other to recipients, sergeant first class petrie. of all the medal of honor recipients in recent decades, not to cut it is also one of the youngest. he is 23 years old, and he performed the extraordinary actions for which he is being recognized today when he was just 21 years old. despite all of this, i have to say that the code it is one of the most down to earth guys you will ever be. in fact, when my staff tried to wrench the phone call that i could tell him that he was approved for the medal of honor, he was at work at his job on the civilian construction site. he felt that he could not take the call that day because he said, "if i don't work, i don't get paid." so we arranged for him to get the call during his lunch break. [laughter] i told him the news, then he went right back to work. that

here's a look at dakota meyer. >> i'm dakota meyer. i'm from columbia, kentucky.and we're still here to talk about it, that's a great honor to receive it. but there is a huge price that was paid for it. i'm accepting the award on behalf of the guys who died that day. the men and women serving, the men and women who will serve. the marine corps. it is a huge pride to be a marine. a great honor. more than just a uniform. more than just a job. it is a way of life. and it is a brotherhood that sticks with you, even after you're out of the marine corps. it is a bad day. to describe it, it is probably the worst day of my life. not probably. it is the worst day of my life. yeah. a bad day. i didn't just lose four marines. i lost afghan buddies, too. i lost six from my platoon. and i think that's something we all need to keep in perspective. that it is not just four guys. we were so close to the afghans, working alongside them. they were just like your brothers, too. i was applying aid to as many of them as i cox we were under heavy fire the entire time. i know i applied

the marine was dakota meyer, a kentucky farm boy who, just this past thursday, received the nation's ghest military award, the medal of honor, from president obama at the white house. meyer was on a mission in the ganjgal valley of afghanistan, where he repeatedly ran a gauntlet of enemy fire in a desperate effort to save his fellow marines. dakota meyer will tell that story tonight, but there is much more to it than his almost insane bravery. this was an operation which went terribly wrong-- so wrong that two army officers were issued career-ending letters of reprimand. it's a story as old as combat. when a warrior's leaders let him down, he has nothing to fall back on but his own courage. dakota meyer will tell you he was just doing his job, but when you see and hear what he did, you, too, may say, "i have never seen the like." dakota meyer grew up shooting game on this farm in greensburg, kentucky, and can hit a squirrel at 750 yards. but it wasn't his marksmanship that earned him the medal of honor; it was his astonishing courage. did you think you were going to die? >> dakota mey

let's take advantage of this opportunity." >> martin: dakota meyer, one of the youngest, lowest rankingarines on the battlefield, took charge. >> meyer: we had to do something, and we requested to bring a truck in. we were told no. you know all your guys are in there getting lit up and you want to be in there helping them and we made it... waiting about five minutes maybe. and we requested again. we were told no. so we requested again about two minutes later. and we were told no again. so i looked at staff sergeant rodriguez-chavez and i said, "we're going in." >> martin: staff sergeant juan rodriguez-chavez, who would receive the navy cross-- the nation's second highest honor-- drove an armored truck toward the village while meyer manned the gun turret. >> meyer: it felt like the whole valley turned on this truck. >> martin: you were it. >> meyer: it was like we're it, like here comes a big target. the enemy was just... they were running right at you, you know, at the truck. >> martin: so this is not just raining fire down. now, they're trying to swarm the truck. >> meyer: it's just li

this country even after you bestow its highest honor on sergeant dadothe cota m depsh on officer dakota meyer. god, here our gratitude for your honing sergeant meyer's character through your countenance as well as countless mentors and friends. when called upon to preserve the safety and dignity of his camrades he was able to demonstrate the valor of his character. god, for his courage revealed that day, this nation is exceedingly grateful. as this is draped around his neck, you encircle him with the depth of your love. acknowledging not only him, but those marines and sailors who were so much a part of his actions on that fateful day. speak to him in the privacy of his heart and assure him as his actions are honored, you equally recognize those who demonstrated their willingness to sacrifice everything in order to uphold the ideals we honor this day. with that in mind, we pray your abiding grace on the families and friends of the marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen, and coastguardsmen who have given their lives in service for this country. we lift up in prayer all those who remain in harm's w

afghanistan one marine's courage under fire earned him the nation's highest military honor, recognition dakota meyer i'm definitely not a hero that is the furthest thing from the troop. >> reporter: he was ambushed. corporal meyer requested by radio to go help them. he was ordered to stay back and disobeyed orders. >> we were going to go in there or die trying. that's how it is. it's your brothers in there. >> reporter: meyer and rodriguez chavez rescued u.s. and afghan troops and provided cover allowing dozens to escape. they returned to the valley five times searching for members of meyer's own team. when he found them they were all dead. >> that is the worst feeling ever. i went in there to bring the guys out alive that was my mission. i didn't bring them out alive, so i failed. >> reporter: now the bravery of staff sergeant juan rodriguez kh chavez has not been forgotten. he has been awarded the navy cross. onto the business of coat ta having a beer with the president yesterday. he's 23 years old, unintimidated and unimpressed by everyone, all the handlers approached him and said while you are i

today, president obama presented it to 23-year-old marine sergeant dakota meyer.native saved 36 lives in afghanistan. but david martin tells us that's not the whole story. >> reporter: dakota meyer should, by all rights, be dead. did you think you were going to die? >> i didn't think i was going to die, i knew i was. >> reporter: so why are you going in there? >> because you know what? there's u.s. troops getting shot at and those are your brothers. >> reporter: four marines were trapped in the village of ganjgal by as many as 150 fighters. meyer was 125 yards away at the other end of this valley. >> we had to do something, so we requested to go in. we were told no. everybody was getting lit up and we wanted to go in there helping them so we requested again two minutes later and we were told no again, so i looked at staff sergeant chavez and said "we're going in." >> reporter: staff sergeant juan rodriguez chavez, who received the navy cross, drove the truck while meyer manned the turret. >> we were it. here comes the big target. the enemy was just... they were ju

the marines that have given us so much in america, giving us freedom every day, so i started the dakota meyer scholarship initiative and it's going to help out marines in combat, their children go to college college paves the road to success, so you can go to dakota meyer.com, find out the information on it, you can donate and it will really help out. i went ahead and said i was going to raise $1 million by next may, and that's my goal. martha: we put that website up there as well and we're going toelp you reach your goal i hope as well. so what's next? what are you going to do after this? >> i don't know. that's a good question. i just keep going with the flow. martha: good for you, you go with the flow. dakota meyer, thank you very much, we appreciate it and we thank you very much for your service, everything you do. >> thank you. bill: well done, sergeant. making the state of kentucky proud, aren't you? nicely done. >>> fox news alert, this is not good news, the markets are on a tear in the wrong direction. off about 300 points right now. reacting to what the fed did yesterday afternoon. t

president obama will present the medal of honor to former marine dakota meyer today. has been cited for his valor that saved 36 lives from an ambush in afghanistan two years ago yesterday. dakota and the president had a beer at the request of dakota meyer. they had a beer at the white house. dakota meyer is from kentucky. so senator mitch mcconnell will also be in attendance. >>> house speaker john boehner will outline his plan to get more americans working again during a speech to the economic club of washington later today. and then the opening bell has rung on wall street. dow futures were up again today as investors hope a week of market gains continues. but you heard about those horrible unemployment numbers. we'll see what that does. >>> as the republican front-runner for president, the attacks on rick perry are starting to add up. so are a different set of numbers as reporters dig into this claim from monday night's debate. >> the company was merck. and it was a $5,000 contribution that i had received from them. i raise about $30 million. and if you are saying t

states in the name of the congress takes pleasure in presenting the medal of honor to corporal dakota meyer, united states marine corps, for conspicuous gallantry and interest to be at the risk of his life beyond the call of duty, what serving with the marine and that it training team 28 in afghanistan on 8 september, two dozen 9. he made a security at a patrol rally point of other members of this team moved on foot with two platoons of afghan national army and border police into the village for a pre-dawn meeting with the village elders. moving into the village, the patrol was ambushed by more than 50 enemy fighters firing rocket- propelled grenades, mortars, machine guns, from fortified positions of the slopes above. hearing of the radio that 14 members were cut off, corporal myers seized the initiative. with a fellow marine driving, corporal meyers took the exposed gutter's position at a gun truck as they drove down the steep terraced terrain attempting to destroy the enemy attack and locate the trapped u.s. team. disregarding intense enemy fire, now concentrated on their loan vehicle, c

dakota meyer he was just 21 years old on a routine patrol in afghanistan two years ago when his team ambushed by taliban insurgents. against orders, he rushed to help his fellow troops. five times meyer and another marine drove a humvee into the line of fire rescuing 36 marines, soldiers, and afghan forces. the military says meyer killed at least eight insurgents everyone though he was himself wounded. today meyer received the medal of honor from president obama. meyer says he is dedicating it to all those who served and those who died that day. >> i didn't just lose fellow troops, we lost afghan troops. it's not just four guys. we were so close to the afghans working alongside them. that i mean they were just like your brothers too. >> meyer went back into the danger zone to retrieve the bodies of the fallen. he now wears the names of the four marines who died that day on his wrist. at meyer's request the four men who died that day were remembered at their hometown at the same time the medal of honor ceremony was taking place. one of those men was from northern california. rob roth

david martin spoke with meyer for "60 minutes." >> reporter: dakota meyer by all chutes should be deadyou think you would die? >> i didn't think i was going to die. i knew i was. >> reporter: why did you go in there? >> there were u.s. troops getting shot at and those were your brothers. >> reporter: four marines were trapped by more than 150 fighters. meyer was 2,500 yards away at the other end of this valley. >> we had to do something, you know? so we requested to go in and we were told no. all of your guys are in there getting lit up and you want to be in there helping them. so question requested again about two minutes later and we were told no again. i looked at the staff sergeant ruiz chavez and i said, "we're going in." >> staff sergeant juan ruiz chavez who received the navy cross, drove the armored truck while meyer manned it. >> it felt like the whole valley turned on this truck. >> reporter: you were it? >> it's like here it comes. we are the big target. the enemy they were running right at you, at the truck. >> reporter: this is not just raining fire down, now they are tryi

marine dakota meyer will be the third living recipient of the medal of honor, awarded for heroism ine war in afghanistan. jim miklaszewski reports. >> reporter: on his grandfather's farm in southern kentucky, dakota meyer is a long way from afghanistan, but he's never far from the war. >> a lot of people ask, did you think you were going to die, i didn't think i was going to die, i knew i was. >> reporter: two years ago, meyer was a 21-year-old marine corporal in afghanistan when his unit walked into a deadly ambush. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: in a ferocious firefight that raged on for six hours, dakota charged head on into enemy fire and saved the lives of 13 fellow marines. >> i was going to keep fighting until they got me. i wasn't going to sit there and lay down and let them win. >> reporter: though wounded, dakota fought on, three marines and a navy corpsman were still missing. by all accounts, dakota was so committed to try to save his battle buddies who were under heavy fire that he had to disobey orders to do it. and with no regard for his own life, dakota ran repeatedly into t

abc's bob woodruff has the story. >> reporter: in september 2009, sergeant dakota meyer was heading through the extremely dangerous ganjgal valley in northeast afghanistan, traveling with afghan soldiers who were trying to convince villages elders to break away from the taliban. but meyer was ordered to stay back with the vehicles. the rest of his unit went in. insurgents opened fire. you were extremely frustrated. you could not go in. >> oh, i was. >> reporter: feeling helpless, sergeant meyer and staff sergeant juan rodriguez-chavez defied orders and drove their humvee up the narrow track toward the village. >> i never thought i was going to come out. >> reporter: but you went in anyway. >> that's what marines do. >> reporter: for six hours, he made multiple trips into the valley under constant gunfire, rescuing more than 30, but it was too late for his closet friends. >> i just sat down between gunny kenefick and lieutenant johnson and just sat there and shook my head. >> reporter: you took their pulse? >> i did, i did. i knew they were dead, but you just want to wish there is something

what can be considered one of man's ugliest creations which is war so let's talk about sergeant dakota meyer a twenty three year old american who was yesterday awarded the medal. of honor by president obama a very young man who at the age of twenty one knew his friends his brothers were trapped in the middle of a deadly firefight so he defied orders and he went on to get that not once or twice or even three times but five times he another soldier who was behind the wheel of a humvee went back in picking up those they could save and those if they could it but it's bodies they wanted to return and all in all dakota meyer saved thirty six people americans and afghans risking his life to save others that was actions to justify war as a whole the president awarding him a medal of honor doesn't justify the president's policies but it's something worth honor and to kota for as an individual as somebody who performed those who were good deeds and was stories one that should remind all americans too that we are at war that no matter how far it might be from our borders people are dying and the law se

those they could save and those that they couldn't bodies they wanted to return to all in all dakota meyer saved thirty six people americans and afghans risking his life to save others those actions that would justify war as a whole the president awarding him medal of honor doesn't justify the president's policies but it's something we're honoring to kota for as an individual as somebody who performed those who wrote deeds and his stories one that should remind all americans too that we are at war that no matter how far from our borders people are dying and the wall sergeant myers showed heroism in the worst moments we should wish that no one else should have to repeat what he went through with since right at this moment wars are going to magically go away since lives will immediately stop being lost as long as our leaders send them into conflict let's zero in on this one man who did what he could in that moment to retain his humanity to save lives and bring back men that home to their loved ones. the time for happy hour and ready to see things argue web writer andrew blake and mike ritz a

dakota meyer says don't call me a hero. >> definitely not a hero. that's the furthest thing from the truth. >> we're either going to go in there or die trying, you know? and that's how it is, you know, that's your brothers in there. martha: all right, let's get you a look at some of the headlines out there now "america's newsroom", general motors and chrysler, agreeing to another week of talks with the united auto workers union. last night, both missed a deadline to reach a deal covering 70,000 u.s. factory workers. they're going to have an extension on that. >>> a massive brawl on the campus of southern illinois university, up to 1000 students, streaming out of their dorms off a power outage. that's when police say the fights started breaking out. >> it got violent. there were many people just punching people. it wasn't even like anything. martha: that's not good. >>> all right, so police say they're investigating that incident before they take any action. >>> and san diego state, opening a new institute, dedicated to hanging -- looking at the glob

dakota meyer is credited with saving other soldiers. >>> taking a live look outside baltimore, maryland, it's cloudy and it looks like it could rain. your forecast is right now. marian marty bass is in the outback. over the state line into pa for the majority of the morning it has been moving ahead of a front that's poised to get here. take a lack at our temperatures. it blocked it in place. we're not going to get much sunshine. the temperatures where the rain is coming down will cool things down. talk about a cooldown. we're having a bit of a change in the season in our immediate forecast. for more, we send it out to marty bass. >>> a quick little graphic to reinforce what we've been discussing. there is going to be some cool and crisp air move into the region. as a matter of fact, tonight might be the coolest night since may the 10th. take a look at our national temperature map. it's the colors you want to pay attention to. look at that plunge of cooler, drier air coming into the eastern half of the united states. going to go this far south and north of new orleans, west of atlanta an

meyer are. could you tell how this all affected him? >> well, dakotaeel that he deserved a medal because he went in for the sake of his four friends, and they died before he got there. and he keeps saying, "you know, i didn't do it. i failed." >> brown: he got their bodies out. >> and he turned the battle, but in his own mind, he keeps saying, "if i had really done by m.r.i. job, i would have gotten them out alive." and the president was saying to him even today, "dakota, you couldn't. did you all you could." but he has that indomitable spirit-- if i could have done better, i could have changed everything. >> brown: all right, bing west, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> suarez: finally tonight, a story that was produced by our online team for our web site as part of our 9/11 anniversary coverage. we think it's worth sharing with our broadcast audience. >> my name is jonathan hyman. i am a documentary photographer, and i've spent the last ten years- five years, full-time--- starting with the day of the attacks, documenting the vernacular response that p

president obama honored dakota meyer's heroism in afghanistan to make him the first living marine to win the medal in more than four decades. meyer faced a barrage of gunfire to face his team members. those he couldn't save he accepted his award in their name. >>> this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> in china, apparently it takes a village and a dog to raise white tigers. after their mother rejected them at birth, three white bengal tigers are being nursed by a dog. staff at the wildlife park where they live also help raise them. the park is asking the public to suggest names for the bunch. the first known cubs successful raised by humans in the region. too cute. >>> a technology company in japan has unveiled a series of little athletic robots. they were designed to compete in a 143-mile triathlon powered using aa batteries. one of the inventions was designed to swim with a special paddle. one rides a miniature bicycle. the last runs the belt of a wheel. pretty cool. >>> one exhibit in germany makes people feel like they are floating t

today 23-year-old marine dakota meyer received the medal of honor. >> dakota on the others who joined him knelt down picked up their comrades and through all those bullets, smoke and chaos, carried them out one by one. because as dakota says that's what you do for a brother. >> meyer was just 21 years old when he survived a six-hour firefight in afghanistan. he wears a bracelet every day engraved with the names of those who died that day. >> it's all about the brotherhood. you know, family. that's what it's about. you know, fighting for your country doing the right thing. >> meyer is only the third living recipient of the medal of honor. his only request to have a beer with the president. the two had that drink last night on a patio outside the oval office. >>> well, we first showed you this video on tuesday. the strangers lifting the burning car and pulling out a trapped motorcycle rider. today that man explained what it was like to watch his life being saved. here's kendis gibson. >> reporter: it's incredible video it watch especially for motorcyclist brandon wright. >> i see my bod

would enable us that when called upon that we will recall the resolute fearlessness of sergeant dakota meyer and all of those who wear the stars of valor, and live up to our responsibilities. it is in your holy name we pray. amen. >> thank you for joining us today. we are grateful for all of our men and women in uniform, and i hope that all of you have not only been inspired by the ceremony but also will enjoy the hospitality of the white house. i hear the food is pretty good. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> on wednesday evening, president obama gave the keynote address at the congressional hispanic caucus dinner in washington, d.c. the president is introduced by the caucus chairman, charles gonzales. this is 30 minutes. ♪ [cheers and applause] >> hello, everybody! buenos noches! thank you so much. please, have a seat. i want to thank congressman gonzales, senator menendez for your outstanding leadership. i want to thank the hispanic caucus insti

michelle obama, accompanied by battle of honor recipient, sergeant dakota meyer. ♪ >> if you would, pleasepray

dakota meyers shared a beer with president obama last night on the patio just outside the oval officehe getsshare a brewski with mr. obama. meyers will be the first living marine since vietnam to get honor. in afghanistan, in 2009, he saved 13 fellow marines and 23 afghan soldiers during an ambush. apparently he ran through gunfire to save them. amazing story there. >>> and the golden state warriors have announced plans to retire the jersey number of one of its most popular players from the past. chris mullins the former number 17 will be retired on january 20 during a home game against the pacers. mullins played 13 seasons for the warriors three for the pacers ending his career in 2000. mullin is already in the basketball hall of fame. >>> athletes eat healthy food, right? >> you would hope. not the case for a marathon runner in arizona. 36-year-old emily helm runs on fast food. she is going to mcdonald's for every meal for the 31 days leading up to the long beach marathon. she is running the race to raise money though for the ronald mcdonald house. not sure i'd want to run behind he

service members and 23 afghan soldiers, marine corporal dakota meyer will receive the highest combat in less than an hour. the 23-year-old, 23 years old, will become the third living recipient and first living marine to receive the medal of honor. meyer met privately with president obama yesterday and he wanted to have a beer with the president. that's what they did. shared a beer together on the patio outside the oval office. here's his story. >> reporter: on his grandfather's farm in southern kentucky, dakota meyer is a long way from afghanistan but never far from the war. >> a lot of people ask, what did you think you were going to die? kn no, i knew i was. >> reporter: he was a corporal in afghanistan when his unit walked into a deadly ambush. in a ferocious fire fight that raged on for six hours, dakota charged head on into enemy fire and saved the lives of 13 fellow marines. >> i was going to keep fighting. i wasn't going to lay down and let them win. >> reporter: though wounded dakota drove on. by all accounts he was so committed to save his battle buddies under heavy fire tha

marine dakota meyer will receive the medal of honor, the military's highest award for saving the lives of 13 u.s. service members along with afghan soldiers two years ago. he's the first living marine to be recognized for his actions in afghanistan or iraq. the postmaster general will announce a plan that could save the postal service billions of dollars annually by eliminating mail processing facilities and pressing suppliers to cut costs. >>> and today actor tommy lee jones turns 65. >>> all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> finally, here is a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. ann curry reports live from iran on conflicting reports about the release of the jailed american hikers. will they finally get their freedom? >>> and singer/songwriter gavin degraw performs live in the studio. >>> keep it on this channel for continuing local news, sports, weather and more. i'm vinita nair. thanks for watching "early to

he's a marine named dakota meyer and becomes now the 85th living recipient of the medal of honor. awarded to him for rushing into enemy fire in afghanistan and disobeying orders, by the way in doing so, in order to save the lives of 13 americans in an ambush. >>> up next here tonight as our broadcast continues on a thursday evening, after the raging wildfires in texas, going back home to see what's left. tonight, we're with them on a first look. >>> and later, the fire rescue we watched in disbelief. we have heard from the heroes who put their lives on the line. tonight we hear from the man who was given a second chance at life. >>> as you have seen on this broadcast, it's been almost two weeks now since the worst of the wildfires in texas started burning. today for the first time, some of the thousands of families who have had to leave their homes went back to see what's left there. we get our report tonight from nbc's jay gray. >> reporter: they are going back, but not going home because the homes here -- almost 2,000 -- are gone. at first glance the empty slabs, the scorched me

on the nyse, medal of honor winner marine sergeant dakota meyer ringing the opening bell. >>> let's talke. several reports say google will launch google wallet this morning, a program we've known about for months. the idea is you replace your wallet with your phone. you store everything digitally. it would really help out george costanza. ♪ >> a little ad there from googlele about their google wallet. instead of a fat wallet, all your credit card information stored on your phone and you tap your phone against a card reader to make a purchase. so far the only phone with the technology is this one, the nexus s from sprint. we expect more and more phones, including possibly the iphone 5 to have that technology called near field communication. and, eventually, you'll just tap your phone against that card reader at the 7-eleven and be on your way. back to you. >> so, high tech to not so high tech. internal condiment dilemma. how in the bleep do you open those little packets of ketchup without making a mess? >> i've made a mess of myself for years. >> after three grueling years in scientific d

. >>> we have an update tonight on dakota meyer, the young marine who saved 36 men during the firefightistan. turns out what he really wants to do is fight fires with the fdny here in new york. but when he missed this year's application deadline and a judge ordered that it be extended just for him, he politely declined, saying no exception should be made just for him. perhaps no surprising, since the medal is made to honor courage, patriotism and sacrifice. >>> did you ever notice how some people become more than just television personalities and instead are more like guests in our home week after week? well, andy rooney has been one of those guys in american life. and cbs announced today that at the age of 92, he will step away from his regular weekly role at the end of "60 minutes." considering that as a young reporter he flew on the first ever allied bombing mission over germany in world war ii. television has been a good second career for our friend andy rooney. >>> up next, some generous young people making a difference quite literally with the sound of music. >>> finally tonight,

. >>> and dakota meyer who received the medal of honor today at the white house, an interview with him>>> we will hear from ashton kutcher as he gets hit to make his debut on "two and a half men." that's the "cbs morning news" on this thursday. thanks for being here with us i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. captioning funded by cbs -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com the "mystery spot". not a mammal in this household is willing to lay claim to its origin. we may never know. let that sink in, people. we may never know.

afghanistan, one marine's courage under fire earned him the nation's highest military honor, recognition dakota meyert feel he deserves. >> definitely not a hero. that's the furthest from the truth. >> september 8, 2009, an afghan army battalion supported by u.s. soldiers was ambushed. corporal meyer requested by radio to go help them. he was ordered to stay back and disobeyed orders. >> we're going to either go in there or die trying, you know? that's how it is. that's your brothers in there. >> reporter: meyer and rodriguez chavez rescued u.s. and of afghan troops and provided cover allowing dozens to escape. they returned to the valley five times searching for members of meyer's own team. when he found them, they were all dead. >> that's the worst feeling ever to, you know, i went in there to bring those guys out alive. that was my mission. and i didn't bring them out alive, so i failed. >> reporter: now, dakota may say he failed, but his grandfather, dwight, is also a retired marine. he says he is exceptionally proud of dakota and the actions he took on that battlefield. dakota's now retired from

we are extraordinarily proud of sergeant dakota meyer. >> his actions were truly remarkable.ies of command failures which we now know helped put him in that life and death situation. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr's investigating this part of the story. barbara what are you finding out? >> reporter: well, wolf, courage and valor on the part of this young marine, shocking lack of awareness on the part of his superiors. >> sergeant dakota meyer, we see the best of a generation. >> i didn't do anything that any other marine wouldn't do or i would hope any other marine wouldn't do. i didn't -- i didn't -- i don't see myself as a hero. >> reporter: the president disagrees. >> because of your honor, 36 men are alive today. >> reporter: dakota meyer was just 21 in september 2009 when his unit, along with an army team and afghan troops, moved into a village in eastern afghanistan to meet with elders. the village lights go out, it was an ambush. what happened next is a six-hour firefight that made meyer a hero. but as this highly critical army investigation found, senior off

medal of"h sergeant dakota meyer, noxd dou an exceptionuz guy, but heçó do not believexd he is an entitledo the court's offer to join the fire department of new york r meyer missed thexd deadline tor apply. form imf chief dominique strauss-kahn is hoping thatht juj out a civilok suitq filed by the hotel maid whor accused him of rape. his lawyer claims he is protected by diplomaticr immunity. k c1 >>> and facebook now hasÑi a political action committee. the facebook patu employees to donate to candidates in future elections. >>> a lotok of the republican be tries to figure out who it wants for president. president obama will try to rally some of his base. the washington post reportsñr h campaign is rolling out operation vote, a portion of the campaign to bring out the minority vote which made up a quarter of allqehvotes. that was the highest percentage ever reclb in a presidential electionÑi according to pugh research.s8 (jj you. >> good afternoon, craig. m591ñ the president has gottent( grief from his bas of late, that he caves to republicans which is worse than the national avee. how fa

in sgt dakota meyer we see the best of a generation of distinction through a decade of war.t to tell you a story. it is september 8, 2009 just before dawn. a patrol of afghan forces and their american trainers is on foot making their way up a narrow valley heading into a village. suddenly, all over the village, the lights go out. that is when it happens. about a mile away, dakota, who was a corporal, and juan rodriguez chavis could hear the valley exploding. they released a firestorm from the hills, from the stone house, and even from the local school. soon, the patrol was pinned down ticking ferocious fire from three sides. men were being wounded and killed and four americans were surrounded. four times, the coach and -- dakota and juan asked permission to go win. four times, there were denied because it was too dangerous. as one of his teacher said, whenever you tell him you can do something, he will go ahead and do it. as he said, those were my brothers and i could not sit back and watch. what he did next will be told for generations. he told juan there were going in. jua

and we are extraordinarily proud of sgt dakota meyers.is only the third time that a recipient of the medal of honor has been able to accept it in person. we are honored to be joined by one of the other to recipients. -- two recipients. i would point out something else, of all of the recipients, dakota is also one of the august. 23 years old. he performed to the extraordinary actions where he was just 21 years old. despite all this, he is one of the most down-to-earth guy is that you'll ever meet. in fact, when my staff first try to arrange a phone call so i could tell them that i could prove his mettle, he was at work. he felt he could not take a call right then because he said, if i don't work, i don't get paid. [laughter] we arranged to make sure he got a call during his lunch break. [laughter] i told him the news and he went right back to work. that is the kind of guy he is. he also asked to have a beer with me. we were able to execute yester day. -- yesterdya. ay. dakota is the kind of guy that gets the job done, and i appreciate you

dakota meyer is the latest recipient of this highest honor. meyer disobeyed orders and repeatedly went into a kill zone and saved 36 people and recovered four. myer now wears the name of the four who did not come home on a bracelet. he joins four living recipients of the medal of honor. while myer was being honor, four memorials were held in the nation for those who died that day, it was his request. >> reporter: here at this cemetery in the small central town of escalon, family and friends gather to honor a young hero and to thank the medal recipient who tried to save him. u.s. navy hospital coreman james layton was 22 years old when he died this month. he was with a group of marines when he was ambushed. marine sergeant dakota myer who received the medal of honor today found layton's body draped over the marine the body of water he tried to save. >> he looked me in the eye and said, i let him down. i didn't bring him back alive. i said no you didn't. it's what happened, i said you brought james back so we could honor him and bury him with th

dakota meyer is the latest recipient of this highest honor. meyer disobeyed orders and repeatedly went into a kill zone and saved 36 people and recovered four. myer now wears the name of the four who did not come home on a bracelet. he joins four living recipients of the medal of honor. while myer was being honor, four memorials were held in the nation for those who died that day, it was his request. >> reporter: here at this cemetery in the small central town of escalon, family and friends gather to honor a young hero and to thank the medal recipient who tried to save him. u.s. navy hospital coreman james layton was 22 years old when he died this month. he was with a group of marines when he was ambushed. marine sergeant dakota myer who received the medal of honor today found layton's body draped over the marine the body of water he tried to save. >> he looked me in the eye and said, i let him down. i didn't bring him back alive. i said no you didn't. it's what happened, i said you brought james back so we could honor him and bury him with th

dakota meyer received the medal of honor from president obama. >> 36 men are alive today.an heroes came home. >> i didn't do anything that i would hope any other marine wouldn't do. i didn't, i definitely don't see myself as a hero. >> they always say that, don't they? but they are. meyer is the third living recipient and the first marine to be awarded the medal of honor for actions in iraq or afghanistan. >>> brandon wright is thrilled to be alive today. young college student who was pulled from beneath the burning car in utah earlier this week after his motorcycle collide would a bmw in a parking lot. check them out, that is him being pulled away. wright held a news conference just to say thank you to the brave bystanders who lifted that car on to its side and pulled him out and saved him. >> i just wanted to thank all the heroes that put their lives on the line to save mine. forever in debt. i can't thank them enough. i just hope they know how much they mean to me. i woke up to a man in a green shirt just kneeling over me and trying to get me to talk and keeping me awak

we'll have more on his story and now the honor on wall street for dakota meyer. >> [opening bell ringing] >> almost there in solitude, right? you see to many, crowd on that floor and this is an honor reserved for o'clock, well done, sergeant, thank you for your service, yet again. martha: all right. let's get to politics now for a moment here. a chicago newspaper has a pretty stark message this morning in their editorial page for president obama. basically, they're sayg just bag the campaign now, and it is coming from the chicago tribune, his home town paper endorsed mr. obama back in 2008, but this time around the editorial board is singing a very different tune. this is a quote from it, quote, i checked the constitution, and he is under no compulsion to run for reelection. he can scrap the campaign, bag it, fundraising calls, an never have to watch another republican debate as long as he's willing to vacate the premiseses by january 2013. that's a pretty harsh message for a sitting president in his home town newspaper. we're joined to talk about this, sally cohen, founder of movement v

dakota meyer, the first living marine to receive the nation's top award for valor during the wars in afghanistan or iraq. he left active duty just about a year ago. it's from the state -- he's from the state of kentucky. kentucky has a lot to be proud of. martha: what a humble young man, his humility and graciousness about the way he was being honored in all of this, he saved 36 lives, he says it of the worst day of his life, he said it of the worst day of his life because he didn't save -- wasn't able to save the other four, but as president obama said there, he was able to bring home their bodies so that their families could bury them. extraordinary, extraordinary young man. bill: we thank him, thank you for your service. >>> his life was saved by people he did not know. we're now hearing from the motorcyclist, trapped underneath this burning car, pulled to safety from some every day heroes. wait until you hear this. martha: incredible to hear from him. >>> how about this? one of these republicans received an endorsement from jimmy carter. is that the political kiss of death for a

martha: medal of honor resipient sergeant dakota meyer says he doesn't want any special treatment. become one of new york city's bravest. but he missed the deadline to take the firefighter exam by just a few hours. he was a little busy as you can see in washington at the white house with the president when he received his medal of honor. but a judge stepped in and gave him the chance to apply late. but that same judge rejected a request for other late entries. the lawyer for sergeant meyer says he doesn't feel right about being only given special consideration. meyer reportedly declined that opportunity. we'll follow up on the story and -- brotherhood with one of those bravest firefighters in new york. we'll see what happens. bill: meantime the trial of michael jackson's doctor starts this morning. dr. conrad murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter. adam housley live in l.a. on this. adam, good morning to you. lay out the case there in l.a.. >> reporter: bill, this all begins in about an hour and 20 minutes from now when dr. murray will face the jury and face the family of

dakota meyer and the president had a heart to heart over a cold beer. ago when he was 21 years old he charged through fierce enemy fire to save the lives of 13 fellow marines and 23 afghan soldiers as well. he is the first living marine to receive the medal of honor and he was quite humble. >> i didn't think he was going to die. i knew i was. i don't like that word, hero. hero, that's -- i'm the further thing from a hero. i'll accept it on behalf of the marine corps and guys that died. >> kristen welker is live at the white house. >> reporter: he's remarkable because of all of reasons you mentioned and he's the third living recipient. he has served tours in iraq and afghanistan and it was in 2009 that he entered that six-hour fire fight that you talked about saving 13 fellow marines. four fellow comrades were killed on that day and meyer says it didn't have to happen. he says army commanders failed to send in reinforcements and two army commanders were actually reprimanded for being inadequate in their actions during that day. but he is just a remarkabl