More than 900 Combat Medic Specialist students in the 232nd Medical Battalion gather to listen to Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer during a visit to the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Friday, 14 Mar.

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer answers questions and gives advice to more than 900 students in the Combat Medic Specialist Training Program during a visit the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Friday, 14 Mar. Meyer spent more than an hour taking questions from students and staff.

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer answers questions and gives advice to more than 900 students in the Combat Medic Specialist Training Program during a visit the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Friday, 14 Mar. Meyer spent more than an hour taking questions from students and staff.

Staff Sgt. Terence Potter, an instructor in the Department of Operational Medicine, walks Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer through a critical care scenario with high fidelity manikins Critical Care Flight Paramedic students were tested on earlier that morning. Meyer visited the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Friday, 14 Mar, and spoke to students, cadre and leadership alike.

Dakota Meyer, Medal of Honor recipient, answers questions from students in the Combat Paramedic Course during a visit to the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Friday, 14 Mar.

A student in the Critical Care Flight Paramedic Course listens as Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, spoke to the class during a visit to the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Friday, 14 Mar.

Command Sgt. Maj. Victor Laragione, U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence command sergeant major, asks Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer about falling back on your most basic level of training during times of crisis, and how important it is to practice those basic skills. Meyer agreed, and said that the first aid training his unit corpsman conducted with the non-medical Marines in the unit, is what enabled him to provide aid to the wounded during the ambush of his unit in Kunar Province in 2009. "I must have put on 35 plus tourniquets that day," he said. Meyer spoke to students, cadre and leadership alike during his visit to MEDCoE on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Friday, 14 Mar.

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer speaks to 32nd Medical Brigade leadership at a question and answer session during a visit to the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Friday, 14 Mar.

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON—Dakota Meyer, U.S. Marine Corps recipient of the Medal of Honor, took time to speak with students, cadre and leaders from the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence during a visit to the campus on Friday, March 14.

Meyer, who received the Medal of Honor in September of 2011 for his actions in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in 2009, spoke to a combat paramedic class, a critical care flight paramedic class, leadership from the 32nd Medical Brigade, and nearly 900 combat medic students from the 232nd Medical Battalion. He took questions during each visit, candidly answering questions from students, instructors and cadre alike.

When asked by a future paramedic how he pushed through fear to keep going, he explained that every action was a choice to move forward.

“You can go to school all day long and learn everything you can, but you will still find situations where you don’t know what to do or where to start, but your ability to push through that fear, and those situations is what will get you through,” Meyer explained. “And you have to keep making that decision to move forward over and over and push through that fear with every step.”

During his time with the flight paramedic class, he spoke about the importance of knowing your own moral compass and holding on to your integrity. Then, he toured the flight and critical care simulators. The flight simulator is set up like a medevac helicopter and both use high-fidelity manikins that allow programed scenarios for a more realistic learning experience.

Meyer received a standing ovation from the 232nd Medical Battalion students after spending more than an hour in a question and answer session with the future combat medics. The Soldiers asked varied questions throughout the entire session, some simple some complex. Meyer encouraged them to pay attention to the smallest details and not cut corners.

“If you don’t care about how you lace up your boots, you won’t care about how you pack your aid bag,” said Meyer. “It all matters. You always fall back on your habits in stressful situations. Make sure they’re good habits.”

To learn more about MEDCoE visit https://medcoe.army.mil/