"It's surreal getting the Medal of Honor," said retired Marine Kyle Carpenter, July 9, at Alexander Hall. "It's a tough medal to have because it represents those missing, killed in action ... those who never made it back."
Carpenter addressed a capacity crowd of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen at the invitation of the Warrior Transition Battalion.
In July 2010, Carpenter, of 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, deployed to Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On Nov. 21, 2010, while joining his team to fight off a Taliban attack, he suffered severe injuries to his face and right arm from the blast of an enemy hand grenade. After-action reports say he threw himself in front of the grenade to protect a fellow Marine.
His recollections of the day, understandably, are murky.
"I felt like I had been hit in the face with a 2x4," he said. With his ears ringing and his entire body numb, "I could feel myself bleeding out ... I said a quick prayer and five or six weeks later, I woke up at Bethesda [Naval Hospital]."
He spent nearly three years in and out of hospitals recuperating and having many reconstructive surgeries.
"The Army and Navy medical personnel are amazing," he said. "They really cared about me as a person."
He also cited the support of his family, the Marine Corps and service members from all branches as helping him through the tough days.
"I hit the wall," he said.
At that time he had been home in Lexington County, South Carolina, for about four months between surgeries. The evening was late. The house was dark and quiet. He was eating a bowl of cereal and it "all hit."
"Half my teeth were out," he said. "I faced two more years of surgery that may or may not work."
That's when he broke down. But it was the comfort of his mother and the words of his father that helped give him a better perspective. He remembers his father telling him "you can't go back to how it was before."
It was about then that Carpenter realized "nothing good can come out of getting down on yourself."
Speaking directly to the Soldiers in the WTB, Carpenter's message was simple: use the support systems that are in place. If you're trying to decide what's next in your life, he said, use that time to plan what's next. Use the guidance counselors and advisors to help craft college applications. Or [plan] travel. Take a backpacking trip across Europe.
"Appreciate what you have here. Now," he said. "Life is short. Use this time [of transition] to make the most of this one opportunity you have at life.
"Set big goals. Come back stronger, mentally and physically," said Carpenter.
One of his goals was to "run a marathon." But first, I have to "have my arms untied, then I have to sit up, then sit on the edge of the bed …"
In October 2014, nearly four full years removed from his injury, Carpenter skydived into the start of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. He completed the 26.2-mile race with a time of 5 hours, 12 minutes.
He is now a junior majoring in International Studies at the University of South Carolina and is pointing toward making a difference in the civilian world, but not without the support of the military community.
He turned to address the large contingent from the Marine Detachment.
"To the Marines: Semper Fidelis.
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