You're damn right the man of the year is a Marine

In 2011, former Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor* for his actions in Afghanistan. That's isn't why he's the Washington Free Beacon's Man of the Year, but we'll get to that. First, it is important to know what kind of a badass Myer is. His Medal of Honor citation reads thusly:

Corporal Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point while other members of his team moved on foot with two platoons of Afghan National Army and Border Police into the village of Ganjgal for a pre-dawn meeting with village elders. Moving into the village, the patrol was ambushed by more than 50 enemy fighters firing rocket propelled grenades, mortars, and machine guns from houses and fortified positions on the slopes above. Hearing over the radio that four U.S. team members were cut off, Corporal Meyer seized the initiative. With a fellow Marine driving, Corporal Meyer took the exposed gunner's position in a gun-truck as they drove down the steeply terraced terrain in a daring attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate the trapped U.S. team. Disregarding intense enemy fire now concentrated on their lone vehicle, Corporal Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle, some at near point blank range, as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area. During the first two trips, he and his driver evacuated two dozen Afghan soldiers, many of whom were wounded. When one machine gun became inoperable, he directed a return to the rally point to switch to another gun-truck for a third trip into the ambush area where his accurate fire directly supported the remaining U.S. personnel and Afghan soldiers fighting their way out of the ambush. Despite a shrapnel wound to his arm, Corporal Meyer made two more trips into the ambush area in a third gun-truck accompanied by four other Afghan vehicles to recover more wounded Afghan soldiers and search for the missing U.S. team members. Still under heavy enemy fire, he dismounted the vehicle on the fifth trip and moved on foot to locate and recover the bodies of his team members. Corporal Meyer's daring initiative and bold fighting spirit throughout the 6-hour battle significantly disrupted the enemy's attack and inspired the members of the combined force to fight on. His unwavering courage and steadfast devotion to his U.S. and Afghan comrades in the face of almost certain death reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

No, bad-ass as all that might be, Meyer is the Man of the Year for this:

Recently Meyer has spent his time trolling Islamic State fighters after reports surfaced that the Islamic terrorists may be targeting U.S. military members through social media.
“I’m just tired of us as Americans living in fear,” he told Jeff Schogol. “I want people to know: Stand up to this; stand up to these people.”
“I don’t want to put anybody else in harm. They can come after me.”

You've got to like a guy who invites a bunch of chesty terrorists to go ahead and come on by. Following a warning from the FBI to former service members to delete references to their military background from social media accounts to avoid being targeted by the terrorist group ISIS, Meyer took the opposite approach.  He sent out a message on Twitter inviting the members of ISIS to "drop by and join my book club." God love him.

* The Medal of Honor is frequently erroneously referred to as the "Congressional Medal of Honor." The medal, while awarded with the approval of Congress (much like promotions to the rank of general officer require approval by Congress -- it is pro forma, and they never get rejected), is simply the Medal of Honor. No "Congressional."

Pvt. Vera can rest in peace

The wheels of justice really do turn slowly sometimes, but they do turn. Thursday, more than 62 years after he was killed in action in Korea, Pvt. Miguel A. Vera was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. Born in Puerto Rico, his ashes were originally interred there. His nephew, Jose Ramon Rodriguez, himself a Marine, had campaigned for years to have his uncle buried in Arlington. Perhaps coincidentally, Pvt. Vera's valor in combat recently was honored by the nation he served:

Army Pvt. Miguel A. Vera was among 24 soldiers from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars who received the Medal of Honor in March after being previously overlooked because of their racial or ethnic backgrounds.
Vera, who was born in Puerto Rico, was just 17 when he joined the Army. He was serving as an automatic rifleman with Company F, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division in Chorwon, Korea, when he was killed at the Battle of Old Baldy on Sept. 21, 1952.
Even though he was suffering from injuries from a previous battle, Vera voluntarily left the aid station to join his unit in an assault on a well-fortified enemy position on a hill. When he and his men were within 20 yards of the spot, they were suddenly trapped by heavy mortar, artillery and small-arms fire, according to the official citation.
The company retreated, but Vera volunteered to stay behind to provide cover fire. When they returned later that morning, they found Vera dead in the same position, facing the enemy.

Having been awarded the Medal of Honor, burial in Arlington was a given. His nephew was presented with the flag from his coffin as the next of kin. That might not mean much to most people, but I'll bet it meant a lot to Mr. Rodriguez. I would call him by his rank, but I was unable to determine what that was. I nonetheless give him all due respect for the efforts he put in to get his uncle the proper recognition. I don't know why Pvt. Vera originally was not awarded the Medal of Honor -- they don't pass it out like candy, after all -- but it certainly sounds like he deserved it. I'm glad he was awarded the medal, and I am doubly glad his nephew achieved his goal of an Arlington burial. RIP, Pvt. Vera.

Hat tip to Hot Air.