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For his heroic actions, Kyle Carpenter has been awarded the Medal of Honor. He’s truly a brave and selfless individual.

People who enlist into the military are incredible. They have decided to risk their lives for all of us.

Some people think that in the 21st century, American troops have nothing to fear on the battlefield, thanks to all of the technology at their disposal. Kyle Carpenter’s story shows just how dangerous being a serviceman still is.

As soon as he could, Carpenter signed up to become a soldier. He showed incredible skill, and soon, he became a marine.

By the age of 21, Carpenter had already become a lance corporal. His fellow marines could see that he was an incredible person to have in their division. He’d always look out for others and ensure that people were as safe as they could be.

Then, in 2010, something happened that would change his life forever. In Afghanistan, he and his unit entered into a fierce battle. During the fighting, a grenade landed next to him and another marine.

Carpenter didn’t hesitate for a second. He realized that there was only one thing he could do. He jumped on top of the grenade, taking in the entirety of the blast.

The young soldier was terribly wounded, but amazingly, he wasn’t killed. The medics were able to get to him in time and rush him to the military hospital.

The medics couldn’t believe that Carpenter was still alive with so much shrapnel in his body. His skull bones had been terribly shattered. And then one of his lungs began collapsing.

Carpenter fell unconscious in the hospital. At the time, he thought that he would never wake up again.

The soldier was in a coma that stretched out for weeks. The medics did all that they could for this young man. But they held out little hope. After all, his injuries were extensive.

“The next thing I remember is waking up to the sight of Christmas stockings on a wall and snow covering a hospital room window.” – Carpenter.

To his amazement, Carpenter was no longer in the desert. Instead, he was in an American hospital at Christmastime. It felt like a dream, but slowly, he realized that this was real. He had pulled through.

But this was far from the end of his journey. He would never see combat again, but the hospital stay would be grueling.

To get Carpenter back to good health, he would have to undergo 40 surgeries. Overall, it took two and a half years to complete these procedures.

Luckily, the surgeons did an amazing job, and Carpenter is now able to live life to the fullest.

If you saw him on the street today, you would never believe that he had been through a physically traumatic event.

When Carpenter was discharged, he learned that he was going to get one of America’s highest honors. Then President Barack Obama was going to award him the Medal of Honor.

Carpenter went to the White House, where, in a large ceremony, the president applauded his bravery and awarded him.

Carpenter has since become a motivational speaker and dedicated his efforts toward helping other wounded soldiers recover from their physical and mental injuries. He is also considering becoming a psychologist.

Carpenter turned 30 this year. It’s amazing to think that he’s achieved so much at such a young age!

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Source: CNN