Actually, the judge said he would extend the application process, but only for Sgt. Dakota Meyer who then declined saying he wouldn’t do it unless it was extended for all applicants, not just him. An amazing person to say the least, the judge . . . not so much.

NEW YORK (AP) — A former Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor bowed out of his quest Tuesday to join the New York City Fire Department after a federal judge denied his request to extend the application deadline for all aspiring firefighters — not just him.

The judge had been willing to grant a 24-hour application extension for Sgt. Dakota Meyer, who saved the lives of 36 people during an ambush in Afghanistan two years ago. Meyer missed the FDNY’s application deadline because he was busy with official Medal of Honor commitments and ceremonies, said Keith Sullivan, his attorney.

But when the city offered to reopen the application process to the public, Brooklyn Judge Nicholas Garaufis refused, saying a brief extension would create a risk of “adverse impact” on minority groups who are under-represented in the ranks of the FDNY. Instead, the judge agreed to grant Meyer a one-day exception because he is “one exceptional individual.”

That didn’t seem fair to Meyer, who charged five times in a Humvee into heavy gunfire in the darkness of an Afghanistan valley to rescue comrades under attack from Taliban insurgents.

“Dakota refuses to compromise his values,” Sullivan said Tuesday. “He said he would like to thank the city of New York and the people who have shown him so much support, but he couldn’t in good conscience take a one-person exception. He will apply for the exam when it’s given again in four years.”

The judge said the city’s offer to advertise the extension on multiple city websites would not be enough to reach black and Hispanic communities. The decision came amid nearly two years of heightened scrutiny of the FDNY’s hiring practices in federal court.

Garaufis, who has presided over the proceedings, ruled last year that the city’s firefighter entrance exam discriminated against minorities. He has closely monitored the FDNY in recent months as it reforms hiring practices by ramping up minority outreach efforts.