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Marine awarded Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor to former Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyers, 23, from Greensburg, Ky., Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Cpl. Meyers was in Afghanistan's Kunar province in Sept. 2009 when he repeatedly ran through enemy fire to recover the bodies of fellow American troops. He is the first living Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor to former Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyers, 23, from Greensburg, Ky., Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Cpl. Meyers was in Afghanistan's Kunar province in Sept. 2009 when he repeatedly ran through enemy fire to recover the bodies of fellow American troops. He is the first living Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
By PhotoBlog

NBC News and news services report:
 Speaking to Meyer's work ethic, Obama called him "one of the most down-to-Earth guys you will ever meet."

When the White House first called to talk to Dakota about the award, he was working on a construction job and didn't want to take the call immediately. The White House called back during Meyer's lunch break.

"If I don't work, I don't get paid," Obama said Meyer told him when the two finally did talk.

"He gets his job done," Obama said.

Read more here and see a slideshow of the men who have received the military's highest honor here.

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