Dakota Meyer Earned Medal of Honor at Just 21. Years Later, Thinking of His 2 Daughters, He Rejoined the Marines (Exclusive) Sam GilletteJanuary 26, 2026 at 6:15 AM 0 Dakota Meyer Dakota Meyer with his two daughters, Atlee (left) and Sailor Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer reenlisted last spring in the U.S.
- - Dakota Meyer Earned Medal of Honor at Just 21. Years Later, Thinking of His 2 Daughters, He Rejoined the Marines (Exclusive)
Sam GilletteJanuary 26, 2026 at 6:15 AM
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Dakota Meyer
Dakota Meyer with his two daughters, Atlee (left) and Sailor -
Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer reenlisted last spring in the U.S. Marine Corps, at 36 years old
In an interview with PEOPLE, he discusses co-parenting with ex-wife Bristol Palin and and how his girls made him the man he is today
Every day, he focuses on one main goal, he says: "What would my daughters think if they were watching me?"
Last spring, Dakota Meyer made an unusual decisoin.
Nearly 15 years after he was awarded the Medal of Honor, he reenlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, as a reservist, at the age of 36. The decision is one he discussed with his two young daughters, whom he shares with ex-wife Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin's daughter.
Meyer says his girls, Sailor, 9, and 8-year-old Atlee, inspire him to be a better man.
"My hope is that they grow up, and they know what a good man looks like," Meyer, now 37, tells PEOPLE.
Every day, he focuses on one main goal, he says: "What would my daughters think if they were watching me?"
Meyer first entered the public eye when he was awarded the Medal of Honor by then-President Barack Obama in recognition of his heroism while in the Middle East.
He first served in the Marine Corps from 2006 until 2010, including two deployments.
During the Battle of Ganjgal in September 2009, the then-21-year-old Marine acted with "conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life … above and beyond the call of duty," a top military officer has said of Meyer being under fire as he fought insurgents and worked to retrieve embattled or dead Americans and Afghans.
Though Meyer says he was deeply honored at the commendation, he keeps it in perspective.
"That medal that I have, it doesn't represent a badass. It doesn't represent a hero," he says. "All it represents is what the potential is in every human being if they believe in a cause that's bigger than themselves."
In 2014, Meyer met Bristol, whose family was then still frequently in the headlines after former Gov. Palin was named as the GOP vice presidential candidate in 2008.
Meyer and Bristol's romance was up and down (and partially chronicled on TV's Teen Mom). In June 2016, the couple, then parents to baby Sailor, got married; they welcomed their second child, Atlee, in May 2017.
Less than a year after Atlee's birth, Meyer filed for divorce.
"I really had to take a hard look in the mirror of — why do you keep getting it wrong?" says Meyer, whose third book, Why to What, was published last year. "I couldn't go through life blaming others and blaming the world for my problems."
The year his marriage was ending, Meyer moved to Austin, Texas. He splits custody of his daughters with Bristol, so they spend every other week with him.
Meyer says that while people get "divorced for a reason," he and his ex co-parent amicably.
"The girls are so fortunate that they get to grow up in two households," he says, "with two parents that love them more than anything."
It took time, he says, for him to grapple with the full costs of what he'd experienced as a Marine and learn what type of dad he wanted to be.
"I went through life for a long time, and I hurt a lot of people," he says. "I said things I didn't mean. And that's the thing I realized is hurt people, hurt people."
He has spoken publicly about overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder, and his struggle with suicidal ideation.
"I used to wake up every day with anxiety," he recalls. "I don't know that my daughters ever really saw me sleep until after 2019."
Meyer credits his time at a treatment facility for veterans in Mexico, affiliated with the nonprofit VETS, for helping him heal.
Since moving to Austin, Meyer has stepped into a variety of new roles. Not only does he volunteer for his local fire department, part-time, he also serves as an ambassador for Hiring Our Heroes, helping connect veterans with employment opportunities, and he launched a Substack called "The BLUF."
He spent two years training before he joined the Marine Corps Reserve in April.
"I'm in the best shape of my entire life," says Meyer, who is often joined by his daughters at the gym.
They were also present for his reenlistment ceremony last year, which was presided over by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a longtime friend. (Before returning to the Marines, Meyer was openly critical of how the Biden administration handled the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the country's longest war.)
Dakota Meyer
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left) swears in Dakota Meyer in April 2025
Meyers calls reenlisting a family decision. It requires him to be in school for a year to become a reconnaissance Marine, and he says he'll see his daughters at least once a month during training.
His dad is flying in from his native Kentucky to stay with them during Meyer's scheduled weeks with them, too.
Meyer says he's motivated by his love for his girls and his country.
"I knew that with my daughters, that just talking about service and sacrifice and about the greater good wasn't going to be enough," he says. "I would have to go back in, and I would have to live it, and I'd have to show it to my daughters."
While he'll stay in touch with his kids when he's away, Meyer is strict when it comes to technology: There is a cell phone at the house that Sailor and Atlee can use to text him, but it's not for playing or exploring social media.
When they're home together, they like to race around on their e-bikes and visit the eight — yes, eight — kangaroos on the property.
The trio also like to go on hikes together.
Dakota Meyer
Meyer with his two daughters.
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Sailor is a "goal setter" who loves to play flag football and basketball, Meyer says, describing Atlee as his "mini me."
"She'll walk in, and as much as you think you're testing her, she's really testing you," he says with a laugh. It's important for him to raise his girls to be "self-reliant" and remain kind, he says.
"I want them to look in the mirror and know they'll be enough for themselves," Meyer says.
He adds, "I want them to be strong."
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 25, 2026 at 05:36PM on Source: OPERA MAG
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