MoH Awardee Honored by Fellow Marines

A day after President Obama placed the Medal of Honor around the neck of retired Cpl. William “Kyle” Carpenter at the White House, 4,400 fellow Marines watched as Commandant Gen. James F. Amos presented him with the Medal of Honor flag. The ceremony took place at the U.S. Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. Carpenter received the nation’s highest award for valor in combat June 19, for heroism he displayed during a Nov. 21, 2010 firefight with Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. According to official records, Carpenter, attached to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, jumped on a hand grenade to shelter a fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio. The two were firing down upon the enemy from a rooftop at the time. Carpenter was medically retired from active duty due to the wounds he sustained in the operation. He now is a full-time student at the University of South Carolina.