Dakota Meyer’s Marine Corps Reenlistment Uncommon, Stats Say

May 8, 2025 4:57 PM
Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Dakota Meyer delivers remarks during his reenlistment ceremony in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., April 17, 2025. US Navy Photo

When Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer raised his hand and officially rejoined the Marine Corps last month, he became one of a small group of veterans to return to service.

Meyers served from 2006 until 2010, when he was given an honorable discharge. He decided to return to service after another Marine, a sergeant, asked Meyers for reenlistment advice.

“How could I ask them to continue to serve and sacrifice without doing it myself?,” Meyers said in a Marine Corps news release.

He reenlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on April 15.

In Fiscal Year 2024, 335 people reenlisted in the Marine Corps after prior service, Maj. Jacoby Getty, a spokesperson for Marine Corp Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told USNI News.

That same year, the service also brought in 236 Marines who had previously served in other military branches, Getty said.

The Marine Corps does not have a specific goal for prior service reenlistments, Getty said.

‘The process begins with a Marine’s desire to return and is ultimately shaped by the needs of the Marine Corps. That said, the Marine Corps highly values the experience, skills, and leadership these Marines bring, and we strongly encourage their return to service when opportunities align,” Getty told USNI News in an email.

Prior-service enlistments fall under the lateral transfer goal in Talent Management 2030, although as of the last update, released in November, lateral transfers focused more on Marines already in the service moving to different billets.

Under Talent Management 2030, the Marine Corps placed a higher priority on retention, shifting away from the idea of enlisting young Marines who would likely only serve one tour, USNI News previously reported.

For Fiscal Year 2025, the Marine Corps set a goal of 7,674 reenlistments for first-term Marines, which the service met in April.

The service also already has 6,966 reenlistment from career Marines, 110.6 percent of the FY 2025 goal, Getty said.

“This is a historic achievement for the Marine Corps and a clear reflection of our evolving retention culture,” he wrote in the email.

The Navy also recruits prior service veterans for active and reserve duty.

The Navy set a goal of 6,029 for Navy veterans to return to reserve duty in FY 2025, William Speaks, the deputy public affairs officer for the chief of naval personnel, told USNI News.

As of April 1, the Navy saw 2,425 Navy veterans reenlist in the reserves with 367 prior-service veterans also joining the Navy Reserve, Speaks said in an email.

The sea service also had 57 Navy veterans and 367 prior-service veterans join active duty, he said.

The numbers do not include anyone who returned to active-duty through the Targeted Re-Entry Program, which allows service members to rejoin with two years of separation without going through a recruiter.

Heather Mongilio

Heather Mongilio

Heather Mongilio is a reporter with USNI News. She has a master’s degree in science journalism and has covered local courts, crime, health, military affairs and the Naval Academy.
Follow @hmongilio

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