WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Mississippi native and Afghanistan war vet, who jumped on a grenade to save a fellow Marine, will receive the Medal of Honor this summer.
President Barack Obama will present the medal to retired Cpl. William “Kyle” Carpenter, 24, during a June 19 ceremony at the White House. He will be the eighth living recipient, and second Marine, to be awarded the medal for heroism during the wars in the Middle East.
According to the Marine Corps, Carpenter was serving with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment in 2010 when enemy forces threw three grenades into his patrol base. One injured an Afghan National Army soldier; the second didn’t explode; and the third landed close to Carpenter and his friend, Lance Cpl. Nick Eufranzio. Carpenter put his body over the third grenade taking the brunt of the blast. He lost an eye, shattered his jaw and teeth, blew out his eardrums and his lung collapsed.
After more than two years of recovery at a military hospital, he took a medical retirement last year and is a student at the University of South Carolina.
