This is the story of a certified American hero, Kyle Carpenter, who lost most of his jaw and one eye in an attempt to shield his fellow Marine from a grenade blast.
William Kyle Carpenter was only 21 when he earned the rank of Lance Corporal in the United States Marines. In 2010, he was sent to Afghanistan to participate in the war.
On November 21, 2010, Kyle was severely injured when he intentionally threw his body over a grenade to prevent a blast from creating havoc.
According to CNN, “Carpenter was wounded in Helmand province, Afghanistan while serving as a machine gunner. He and another Marine were manning a rooftop position during a firefight with Taliban insurgents when a hand grenade landed nearby.”
“He rushed toward the grenade, and his body took most of the blast. The other Marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio also was injured.”
According to a Daily Mail report, “Eufrazio survived the attack, but the frontal lobe of his brain was seriously injured by shrapnel, and it took him more than two years to be able to talk again.”
After the deadly blast, Kyle was evacuated from the battle through a helicopter and was transferred to a field hospital.
The brave soldier had to undergo more than 30 surgeries in the span of the next two and a half years to rebuild his body.
CNN reported that in a defense Defense Department Video, Kyle revealed that when he was evacuated from the war and the heli took him to the hospital, the hospital staff declared him ‘dead.’
“I 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.”
Speaking to the Times, the former Marines soldier said he had been in war-stricken Afghanistan for almost five months before the blast.
“We knew the area we were moving into was one of the rougher areas,” said Kyle.
Speaking of his injuries, the 24-year-old added that he wouldn’t be bitter about his wounds.
“I’m still here and kicking, and I have all my limbs, so you’ll never hear me complain.”
Recalling the blast, Carpenter said he could not remember what exactly happened, and there were no witnesses either.
“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.
In 2014, Kyle was presented with the nation’s top military award and a medal of honor by President Barack Obama, who appreciated his heroism and said it would never be forgotten.
“Anybody who has had a chance to get to know this young man, you’re not going to get a better example of what you want in an American or a marine,” Obama said at the ceremony.
“If any American seeks a model of the strength and resilience that defines us as a people, I want you to consider Kyle… Kyle, you not only saved your brother in arms, but you also displayed heroism in a blink of an eye that will inspire for generations.”
What are your thoughts on Kyle Carpenter’s story? Let us know in the comment section.
Sources: Daily Mail – CNN
