President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to a young former Marine who fought his way through an ambush in an Afghan ravine to rescue three dozen fellow marines and recover the body of four dead American soldiers. He did all that despite being ordered to stay put. Medal of Honor

The awarding ceremony was held at the White House and the president described Dakota Meyer as a humble young man who disregarded his own safety to save men that he considered as his brothers. He became the first person from the Marine Corps to receive the award, which is the United States’ highest award for valor, for actions during the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Meyer is now a sergeant in the inactive reserve. He was an infantry corporal when an American and Afghan column headed to the village of Ganjigal in Kunar Province. The group was a mix of American trainers, border police officers and Afghan soldiers. They walked into an ambush along the way.

Corporal Meyer and another Marine who were assigned to the group to secure the flank were hundred yards away from the trapped team. He heard their call for help from the radio and asked for artillery support to suppress the Taliban rebels. Officers denied the request, which left the men to fight on their own. He was also told to stay in place but decided to rush towards the ambush site to help the troops.