Kyle Carpenter, the Marine who jumped on a grenade in November 2010, will receive the Medal of Honor. According to reports from the Marine Corps, Carpenter will become only the third Medal of Honor recipient after the events of September 11, 2001. The story of Kyle Carpenter is one truly worthy of the recognition.
Only 21 years-old at the time, Lance Corporal Kyle Carpenter was stationed on a rooftop in the Marjah district in Afghanistan with his friend, Lance Corporal Nicholas Eufrazio.
“We grew to be extremely close. He was always our point man,” Kyle Carpenter said of his relationship with Eufrazio while serving in Afghanistan. “He was always on it. I absolutely trusted him with my life. Over there, we were always together and always looking out for each other, so we decided to take post together.”
After days of clearing the area in the Marjah district, the fighting had grown quiet. The duo were serving a noon to 4 pm shift on the rooftop. Suddenly, they found themselves bombarded by hand grenades. As the the last of three incoming grenades rolled across the roof beneath their feet, Kyle Carpenter reacted the only way he knew how. He jumped on the grenade.
Neither Carpenter or Eufrazio have been able to verify the incredible act of bravery. Kyle Carpenter’s face was shattered, losing his right eye and most of his teeth. The Marine also suffered a severely broken arm and was blown unconscious. He can not remember the events of that day in November. Lance Corporal Eufrazio survived the explosion, but a piece of shrapnel pierced his frontal lobe. It was late 2012 before Eufrazio was even able to speak.
In spite of a lack of witnesses to Kyle Carpenter jumping on the grenade, there is no doubt within the Marine Corps that he sacrificed himself for his fellow Marine. Hospitalman 3rd Class Christopher Frend, the Marine who first rendered medical care to Carpenter and Eufrazio, told investigators, “Grenade blasts blow up; they don’t blow down. If he hadn’t done it, what we found would have looked completely different.”
While Eufrazio has struggled to survive, Carpenter has made an amazing recovery. In the days immediately following the grenade blast, medical teams were fighting just to keep him alive. Today, the Marine is part of the Wounded Warrior project , competes in races, and wants to show others that they can overcome impossible obstacles.
Supporters can keep up with Kyle on his Facebook page, Operation Kyle. The Medal of Honor is the highest combat medal awarded in the military. Candidates can be denied based on reasonable doubt . But the circumstances and reports of Marines who were there seems to have given credibility to the act of bravery performed by Kyle Carpenter.
[Image via Marine Corps Times video]
