Who Is Dakota Meyer? Medal of Honor Hero Tapped by Hegseth to Fix Pentagon Barracks Crisis

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer has been appointed senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Barracks Task Force to address deteriorating military housing conditions. During visits to U.S. installations, Meyer has found mold, broken air conditioning and troops without hot water, with some reportedly sleeping in cars to escape poor barracks.

Appointed on Oct. 19, 2026, Meyer will inspect facilities and identify obstacles delaying repairs. Describing the conditions he encountered, he told Fox News Digital, “I would tell you that there’s only a couple that I’ve seen that are good.”

Dakota Meyer’s Medal of Honor Actions During the Battle of Ganjgal

Meyer earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal in Afghanistan on Sept. 8, 2009. At 21, he repeatedly entered an enemy ambush zone under heavy fire to rescue wounded American and Afghan troops and recover fallen service members.

His actions helped save 36 lives, including 13 Americans and 23 Afghan personnel. President Barack Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor at the White House on Sept. 15, 2011.

Meyer left the Marine Corps in 2010 but reenlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in April 2025. Hegseth administered his oath during a ceremony at the Pentagon.

Hegseth Gives Meyer a Role in the Pentagon’s Barracks Overhaul

Hegseth appointed Meyer senior adviser to the Barracks Task Force on Oct. 19, 2026. Established in October 2025, the task force aims to improve military housing by inspecting installations, hearing directly from service members and addressing delays in repairs.

Meyer said he sought an “authoritative role” for the task force so it could make decisions and accelerate improvements. “The secretary has made it clear to me he doesn’t expect me to observe this, study it, or to make it better. He expects me to fix it,” he told Fox News Digital. “And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

During one visit, Meyer asked a 19-year-old service member what she would change if she had a “magic wand.” Her answer was a hot shower. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” he said. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in July 2025, provided the Defense Department with $1.2 billion for barracks improvements, including renovations and facility upgrades.

GAO Reports Document Years of Neglect in Military Barracks

A September 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found serious health and safety hazards in military barracks, including sewage overflows and faulty fire systems. It also highlighted the Pentagon’s lack of reliable data on housing conditions and barracks spending.

The GAO issued 31 recommendations to address these problems. By April 2026, the Defense Department had implemented 19, leaving 12 outstanding. A separate August 2026 report estimated the Pentagon’s broader facilities maintenance backlog at $285 billion in fiscal 2025, citing insufficient funding for maintenance and improvements.

Meyer said funding is not the only obstacle, pointing to deferred maintenance, budget delays and contracting procedures that slow repairs. “When you look at the contracting aspect, it’s easier for people to say no,” he said.

He added that progress should be measured by improvements in troops’ living conditions, not just spending commitments. “Our service members don’t, they don’t live in our budget lines,” Meyer said. “They live in the rooms that those budget lines are there to impact.”

Meyer Says Service Members Need Basic Living Conditions

Meyer said understanding the barracks crisis requires speaking directly with service members rather than relying on Pentagon assessments. “You can’t fix these problems or understand these problems by standing on the carpet of the Pentagon,” he said. “You’ve got to go out there and talk to these service members.”

He said troops are asking for basic living conditions, including hot showers, laundry facilities, secure doors, mold-free rooms and working lights. Meyer also noted that installation commanders often want to improve conditions but face institutional and administrative obstacles.

“I think this is a multidimensional problem, and it’s complex,” he said, adding that commanders “still have to have the ability” to address the problems. Meyer has taken personal responsibility for the task force’s results, saying he would be “only one person to blame” if the barracks are not fixed.

Defining success, he said, means ensuring “People are living in places that I would be okay for my daughters living in.” The task force’s challenge will be turning inspections and funding commitments into safer living conditions for troops.