Dakota Meyer

Born and raised in Columbia, Kentucky, Sgt. Meyer enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2006. A school-trained sniper and highly skilled Marine infantryman, Sgt. Meyer deployed twice to combat duty. In 2007, he deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom; and in 2009-10, he deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor in recognition of his acts of extraordinary valor on Sept. 8, 2009. In addition, his personal awards include: Purple Heart Medal, Navy and Marie Corps Commendation Medal with “V” for valor, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. Sgt. Meyer completed his active duty in 2010 and now serves in the Individual Ready Reserve of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. In 2012, Sgt. Meyer joined forces with Hiring Our Heroes and Toyota as an ambassador to the military on the Personal Branding Initiative, a set of programs and tools developed to help veterans and transitioning service members understand the importance of their “personal brand" and how to translate their military skills to the civilian business world. As a former Marine sniper, Sgt. Meyer has first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing military veterans as they try to acclimate and integrate into civilian life after transition out of the military. With his combined experience as a civilian employee, small business owner and veteran employment advocate, Sgt. Meyer is currently touring U.S. bases to educate transitioning service members in the areas of personal branding, effective job search techniques, goal setting, interview skills and education.