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Story highlights
- Retired Marine Cpl. William "Kyle" Carpenter receives award for valor
- He took a grenade blast in Afghanistan while shielding a fellow Marine
- He will be the eighth living Iraq, Afghanistan veteran to receive the award
- "I am just getting started," he says
William "Kyle" Carpenter lost most of his jaw and an eye when he fell on a grenade to shield a fellow Marine from the blast. His body shattered, one lung collapsed, Carpenter was nearly given up for dead after that 2010 Afghanistan firefight.
Then he spent 2½ years in a hospital as doctors worked to rebuild his body. But if you think he's bitter, think again.
"I look back, and I'm actually very appreciative I had those two and a half years, because those years put things in perspective more than a whole lifetime of things could if I wasn't there," Carpenter said.
On Thursday, he became the eighth living veteran of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award.
President Barack Obama presented the medal at a White House ceremony.
Carpenter was wounded in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 21, 2010, while serving as a machine gunner, according to the White House.
Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
U.S. President Barack Obama presents Navy SEAL Edward Byers with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House on Monday, February 29. Byers received the medal for his role in rescuing an American civilian being held hostage by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Click through to see other Afghanistan veterans who have received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor in combat.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Obama presents a Medal of Honor to retired Army Capt. Florent A. Groberg in November. Groberg was severely injured when he tried to push a suicide bomber away from his patrol in August 2012.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Former U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan J. Pitts receives the Medal of Honor in July for his actions during a battle in Afghanistan in 2008. According to the Army, Pitts launched grenade after grenade under a hail of enemy gunfire as comrades at other nearby posts fell. He also asked other soldiers to fire at his position to prevent the enemy from gaining ground.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Retired Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter shakes hands with Obama as he receives the Medal of Honor on June 19. While serving in Afghanistan, Carpenter used his body to shield a fellow Marine from a grenade blast on November 21, 2010.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Army Sgt. Kyle White receives the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House in May. He was recognized for repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire in Afghanistan while trying to save the lives of fellow soldiers in November 2007.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Obama gives former Army Capt. William Swenson the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony in October 2013. Swenson was cited for "his exceptional leadership and stout resistance against the enemy during six hours of continuous fighting" in 2009, according to the Army.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Army Staff Sgt. Ty M. Carter, left, watches as Obama greets family members of fallen service members after Carter was awarded the Medal of Honor in August 2013. Carter was cited for his actions during the October 3, 2009, defense of Command Outpost Keating in Afghanistan, including "running through a hail of enemy rocket propelled grenade and machine gun fire to rescue a critically wounded comrade."
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha at the White House in February 2013. Wounded early in the battle at Command Outpost Keating on October 3, 2009, Romesha "continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved confidently about the battlefield engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets," according to the Army.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Obama awards the Medal of Honor to Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer in September 2011. In fighting at Gangjal, Afghanistan, on September 8, 2009, while manning a gun truck, "Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle, some at near point blank range, as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area," his citation said.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Obama walks with Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry, who received the Medal of Honor in July 2011. Petry was cited for his actions during a battle in Paktya province, Afghanistan, on May 26, 2008, which included picking up an enemy grenade thrown at him and fellow soldiers. As he was about to throw it away, the grenade exploded and blew off his right hand, according to his citation.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Obama applauds after presenting the Medal of Honor to Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta in November 2010. Cited for his actions in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, in October 2007, Guinta was the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Phil and Maureen Miller receive the Medal of Honor on behalf of their son, Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, in October 2010. The soldier was cited for engaging more than 100 enemy fighters in the Gowardesh Valley, Afghanistan, on January 25, 2008. Miller killed 10 of the enemy and wounded dozens more before being mortally wounded by enemy fire.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
Paul and Janet Monti receive the Medal of Honor for their son, Army Sgt. First Class Jared C. Monti, in September 2009. Monti was killed June 21, 2006, in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, while attempting to rescue one of his fellow soldiers and fighting off an attack from insurgents.
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Photos: Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor
President George W. Bush presents the Medal of Honor to Daniel and Maureen Murphy, parents of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, in October 2007. Murphy, a Navy SEAL, was killed June 28, 2005, when his four-man team was assaulted by 30 to 40 enemy fighters. Murphy exposed himself to repeated enemy fire while trying to radio for help for his besieged team, his citation said.
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Carpenter and another Marine were manning a rooftop position during a firefight with Taliban insurgents when a hand grenade landed nearby, the Marine Corps said.
Carpenter rushed toward the grenade and his body took most of the blast, according to the Marine Corps. The other Marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio, was also injured.
In a Defense Department video, Carpenter said he had to be revived while being evacuated by helicopter from the battle and was labeled dead on arrival at a field hospital. He later nearly died again at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he said.
"The enemy killed me. I came back, ran a marathon, completed a mud run and jumped from a plane. I won't ever quit. I am just getting started," he said in the video.
Carpenter, medically retired from the Marine Corps last year, is now a student at the University of South Carolina.