Dakota Meyer
Medal of Honor recipient (youngest ever)
Dakota L. Meyer (born June 26, 1988) is a former United
States Marine and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan. He is
best known for being awarded the Medal of Honor for his
actions during the Battle of Ganjgal, on September 8, 2009,
in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. He is the third living
recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, and
the first living U.S. Marine in 38 years to be so honored.
After completing training to be a U.S. Marine, Meyer
deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007, as a Scout Sniper with
3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. He gained national attention for
his actions in Afghanistan during his second deployment in
Kunar Province with Embedded Training Team 2-8. On
September 8, 2009, near the village of Ganjgal, Meyer
learned that three U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman were missing after being
ambushed by a group of insurgents. He charged into an area known to be inhabited by
insurgents and under enemy fire. Meyer eventually found all four dead and stripped of
their weapons, body armor, and radios. With the help of some friendly Afghan soldiers,
he moved the bodies to a safer area where they could be extracted. During his search,
Meyer "personally evacuated 12 friendly wounded, and provided cover for another 24
Marines and soldiers to escape likely death at the hands of a numerically superior and
determined foe."
When U.S. President Barack Obama's staff called Meyer to set up a time for the
President to inform him that his case for the Medal of Honor had been approved, Meyer
was working at his construction job and asked if they could please call him back when
he was on his lunch break, which they later did. Dakota then returned to work.
Steve Reichert
One Mile Kill Shot – Black Friday! – Documentary on the History Channel, Military
Channel, and many others.
Steve Reichert currently
specializes in integrating
upcoming technologies
(things that don’t yet exist)
with current special
operations requirements
(things they need now).
Most of his time is spent
thinking outside of the box, listening to folks in the industry say it can’t be done, then
finding a solution to the unsolvable problem.
Prior to his current position at ASO3, Steve founded Tier 1 Group (T1G), a defense
related company which provides specialized services and training to the U.S.
Government & other agencies. T1G is backed by one of the world’s largest and most
respected private equity firms.
Steve grew the company from a start-up to an industry leader in 3 years, served as
T1Gs CEO & BOD for five years.
Steve proudly served 12 years in the Marines, receiving a medical retirement after
taking an IED blast on his last trip to Iraq.
As documented on the History Channel, in the early morning hours of April 9, 2004, a
Marine sniper and his spotter crawled on top of an abandoned oil storage tank in
Lutafiyah, Iraq. Their mission was routine as they covered their squad’s patrol
movement through the small town during the Arba’een pilgrimage. As it turned out, it
was also a mission that will go down in the volumes of Marine Corps history.
Staff Sgt. Steve Reichert, a 25-year-old scout sniper with Headquarters Company, 2nd
Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and Medfield, Mass., native, was recently awarded one
of the Corps’ top medals, the Bronze Star with a combat ‘V’ for valorous action.
During this particular mission atop the oil tank, Reichert settled himself in a very
exposed position -- though he was able to prop up a few steel plates on some sand
bags. He and his spotter occupied that position knowing they were extremely vulnerable
to enemy fire.
“I didn’t really think about it at the time,” said Reichert. “But when we heard the fifty cal.
rounds impacting the oil tank we took what little cover there was.”
As the patrol moved toward the town, Reichert observed a dead animal located in the
patrol’s path. It was then when he recalled his training in enemy tactics, techniques and
procedures for improvised explosive devices (IED) and made radio contact with the
patrol leader to redirect. The patrol leader radioed back to Reichert and confirmed his
suspicion that two wires were leading out of the dog carcass.
“We encountered IEDs daily,” said Reichert. “The IED that the squad came up on was in
a dead animal, and with my spotting scope I could see the slight reflection of the wires
coming out of the animal.
But despite the squad’s preventive measures, a routine situation turned treacherous.
A rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG, was fired at the Marine patrol and seconds later
enemy machine gun and small-arms fire pinned them down, according to Reichert. The
Marines couldn’t effectively engage the enemy machine gunner on the rooftop of a
nearby building so they radioed to Reichert on the oil storage tank. He took one shot
and missed, then made the proper wind and elevation calculations to make his mark. A
moment and a trigger pull later, Reichert took out the gunner.
In the after action report, the platoon leader made a remarkable account, that Reichert
made the shot from 1,614 meters – approximately a mile away. His accuracy was the
deciding factor in the outcome of the firefight.
Soon after, a few insurgents began to climb a set of stairs on the backside of the
building where the firefight was taking place. Reichert aimed into the brick wall where he
thought the men were and fired.
All three of the men dropped. Reichert’s armor-piercing round penetrated the wall and
killed one man -- possibly wounding the other two with bullet and brick fragmentation.
“I was concerned about my Marines making it out of there in one piece,” said Reichert.
“And at the same time I was loving life. I was outside of the gunmen’s range, but they
were within my weapon’s range. I guess I could compare it to shooting ducks in a
barrel.”
But the parlor game atmosphere proved to be more difficult than he may have expected.
“I could see that the two Marines got separated (from the platoon) and saw that a small
group of insurgents were maneuvering into position to ambush the Marines. Once they
stopped moving I shot one; the other two ran.”
Reichert looks back at his mission as a learning experience – not only for him, but for
others who follow in his footsteps.
“I’ve learned a few lessons in life that I think helped me along the way,” said Reichert.
“Never quit, no matter how tough life can get.”
Jim Gilliland
Longest Confirmed Kill in Operation Iraqi Freedom with a 7.62 Rifle
I was born in Haleyville Alabama and grew up in Double
Springs Alabama. I went to Winston County Elementary and
Winston County High School where I played Foot Ball, Base
Ball, Track, Basket Ball, and participated in the High School
Rodeo Association riding Bare Back and Saddle Bronc. I
was an avid outdoorsman and loved to hunt and fish in
Bankhead National Forest and Smith Lake.
Joined the Army in 1996 – He served in the 3d Bn of the 75th
Ranger Regt as an Indirect fire Infantryman (Mortar Gunner),
Forward Observer, Sniper, Spotter, RTO, Team Leader, and a
Squad Leader. He later deployed twice to Afghanistan with C
company 3/75 as a Squad Leader where he participated in the
highly televised night combat Airborne Assault in the Helmand
providence on 19 Oct 2001. Jim went on to instruct at the NCO
academy for 18 months before being assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. There Jim
selected and trained a Sniper Section from scratch in 2004 and deployed for one year
as a Sniper Section Leader. Jim’s sniper section was recognized as the best Sniper
Section in Iraq in 2005 by the Joint Chief Counter IED Task Force. Jim is accredited
with taking a record successful single shot engagement with a 7.62 rifle. Jim was then
assigned as a Ranger Instructor at the Mountain Phase of the Army’s Ranger school for
three years as both tactics and mountaineering instructor. Following that, Jim returned
to the 3d ID and completed his second tour in Iraq as a Platoon Sergeant leading a
quick Reaction Force and counter IED/Post blast section Leader finishing his time in the
3d ID as a First Sergeant. Jim was then selected to serve in the Soldier Requirement
Division, Small Arms Branch as the Senior Enlisted Adviser and Branch NCOIC. In this
role Jim was directly involved in the selection, refinement and development of all future
Army small arms. Jim was promoted to Master Sergeant on 1OCT12 and currently
serves with the 2-29 IN BN, and is working in the S3 office awaiting a 1SG appointment
Awards and decorations;
Matt Jacques
Recognized on Trigger Time TV as a Leading World Expert Firearms Instructor
Matt delivers over 20 years of Law Enforcement experience
within the United States Marine Corps and two civilian Police
agencies, as well as exercising his talents as a Sniper. He
possesses documented leadership ability, proven instructor
capability and strengths in complex problem solving, decision
making and written and oral communication.
He was an instrumental part of a team responsible for the
research, development and training of weapons systems
manufactured by FN. Matt conducted new equipment training
for new systems to members of the United States Special
Operations community involving the SCAR program and other
systems. He also wrote the test plans, compiled and recorded
data and instructed training for the weapon systems built by FN to include M249 and
M240 medium machine-guns. Matt was responsible for the assembly, system
completion and accuracy testing for the FN SPR sniper rifle systems.
Scott Waddell
Nuclear Security Weapons Expert, former USMC Firearms Instructor, NRA
Instructor
A Former United States Marine who was attached to 2nd Marine
Division where he served as a Firearms Instructor and Instructor of
Water Survival, the very core skills every Marine needs.
After completing his tour in the Marine Corps, he began training for a
career in Law Enforcement. It was during this time that he was
exposed to the Nuclear Security Sector, an event that radically
altered his career path. He has been in the industry since 2005
where he provides both advanced firearms training, as well as
defensive tactics. He places a special emphasis on mental
preparation development for officers who are willing to sacrifice their
lives to protect the public from Radiological Sabotage
Scott is also the founder and President of Guardian Training, LLC, a
North Carolina based company that specializes in numerous training disciplines
including: Basic/Advanced Firearms Training, Concealed Carry Handgun Training,
CPR, OC, and ASP Baton; just to name a few. He is dedicated to providing the law
abiding citizen with the knowledge and skills needed in order to protect themselves,
loved ones, and even you as a citizen.
Chris Daidone
Nuclear Security Weapons Expert, Former USMC Scout Sniper
An honor graduate from Marine Corps basic training and
Certificate of Commendation recipient for his performance at the
School of Infantry, Chris joined 2nd Battalion 8th Marines in 1997
as a machine gunner. Realizing this as a mere stepping stone,
he volunteered andeasily negotiated Scout Sniper indoctrination
and was immediately sent to Marine Corps Sniper School. Chris
received both his Hog’s Tooth and the title Marine Corps Sniper,
all prior to his one year mark in the Marine Corps!
Chris went on to provide sniper support for numerous operations primarily based in
South America and West Africa. He is best known for his efforts spent in Ecuador where
Chris rewrote their entire sniper doctrine; followed by a complete training package to
ensure both compliance and competency. In 1999 Chris received the Navy and Marine
Corps Achievement Medal for his performance and dedication. His Marine Corps career
concluded as anInstructor for the School of Infantry in support of combat operations
during Enduring Freedom.
In 2009, Chris turned his focus to the civilian sector and their protection from
radiological sabotage, where he currently provides both consultation and training for the
nuclear industry. Chris is also the founder and President of Citizen Defense Solutions,
LLC, a North Carolina based company dedicated to providing the law abiding citizen
with both the knowledge and tools to protect and preserve family, friends, other citizens
and our 2nd amendment rights.