On September 15th, former US Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer was presented the Medal of Honor for his actions in a pitched battle in Afghanistan.

There has been a frequently mentioned, though just as frequently passed over, detail to Meyer’s story (emphasis added):

Former Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor…for disregarding orders in Afghanistan. [1]

President Obama…bestowed the nation’s highest military honor on Dakota Meyer, a young and humble Marine who defied orders… [2]

Defying orders, Meyer drove into a firestorm unleashed by Taliban… [3]

Meyer’s heroism that day began when he and a fellow Marine, Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, refused orders and drove into the teeth of an ambush… [4]

Finally, Meyer disobeyed orders and got in a Humvee with another Marine, Staff Sg. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, to go to the troops’ rescue. [5]

None of this detracts from then-Cpl Meyer’s heroism.  In fact, the “aura” of a Marine disobeying orders, wading into a battle, killing the enemy and saving lives is overwhelmingly positive, which is likely why its been repeated so many times.

Though the official military version of his actions says only that he “seized the initiative,” even the Commander in Chief said

They were defying orders, but they were doing what they thought was right.

And that’s the key:  what they thought was right.  Even those with no military knowledge understand the seriousness of disobeying an order.  There has been no indication the order for Meyer not to engage was illegal, meaning he violated a lawful order — which he was sworn to uphold — to do what he believed to be the right thing.

That takes moral courage.

Moral courage has been recognized in the military before.

In what would eventually be known as the massacre at My Lai, US Army helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson landed his chopper in front of advancing American forces and had his gunner, Lawrence Colburn, point his machine gun at the Americans.  Along with gunner Glen Andreotta, they stopped the American killing of civilians, women, and children.

Thirty years later, in 1998, the three were awarded the Soldier’s Medal, the highest award possible in action not involving the enemy.  Major General Michael Ackerman said

“It was the ability to do the right thing even at the risk of their personal safety that guided these soldiers to do what they did.”  The three “set the standard for all soldiers to follow.”

That took moral courage.

In 1993, two Delta Force snipers, SFC Randy Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon, repeatedly asked to be dropped into a helicopter crash site in Mogadishu to defend the wounded Soldiers.  At their third request, it was finally granted.  They were eventually overrun and all but one of the chopper crewmembers was killed.  Shugart and Gordon knew they stood little chance of surviving, but they went anyway.

That took moral courage.

Moral courage means more than simply “doing.” It is doing the right thing, even with the possibility of great personal cost.  Hugh Thompson turned his guns on Americans, and a Congressman even reportedly tried to get him court-martialed; Gordon and Shughart joined a battle they likely knew they would not survive; Meyer disobeyed orders to save his friends.

Of course, the entire premise rests on the belief that there is something more important in this life than one’s own existence.  Their noble conduct is also predicated on the belief in something “higher” — higher than their own life, the legal orders of their officers, or even the mission.  The actions of those noted here were more than mere selflessness; they were also a proactive and assertive moral right.

That US servicemembers can know and act on what is right — and be recognized for it — is an encouraging testament to the future of the American Armed Forces.  As Chuck Horton recently noted,

Men [like Sergeant Dakota Meyer] are willing to put their fledgeling careers on the line to do what they know is right even when commanded to do otherwise…Today’s soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on the front lines are tough, professional, and best of all, audacious.  And qualities like that give me hope for the future of this war.

The US military strongly benefits from those within its ranks who choose to do the right thing, if for no other reason than its the right thing to do.

As obvious as that may sound, it can be a surprisingly novel concept.  Some have said, for example, that former Army Captain Will Swenson did the “right” thing when he vociferously criticized his superiors in the ensuing investigation of the battle which resulted in Meyer’s Medal of Honor.  The perception, however, has been that Swenson was blackballed for that criticism — which is why he is the only one of those involved in the battle who has not been recognized for his heroism.  Swenson has reportedly now been nominated for a Medal of Honor.

No one ever said doing the “right” thing was necessarily the “easy” thing, nor that it would be rewarded.  The point, of course, is to do the right thing anyway.

Though the moral challenges may be greater today than at any time in history, men and women of strong moral character, with the moral courage to do what is right, are necessary for the future success of the US military — and the Nation.  Recently appointed Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said this very thing:

The future of our democracy depends on the willingness of every generation to fight for what’s right, and what’s best for this country.  And [Sgt Meyer’s] story will forever inspire future generations to fulfill that fundamental duty that we all have as citizens in this great land:  To make sure that the virtues and the values that are the source of America’s strength that have built this nation, that have created this great land that we are a part of, will always be defended and will always be protected.

Hopefully, the presence in the military of those with moral character — the willingness to fight for what’s right — will be encouraged and their conduct recognized, and the moral character of the military may excel as a result.