Meet the Marine Who Jumped on a Live Grenade to Save His Friend and Won the Medal of Honor (VIDEO)
On Nov. 21, 2010, Marine Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter was manning a rooftop security post in Marjah, Afghanistan with Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio when an insurgent tossed a hand grenade at them. Carpenter covered the grenade with his body and shielded Eufrazio from the blast. He miraculously survived, and his valor earned him the nation's highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
The Washington Post reported how President Obama detailed Carpenter's long road to recovery.
"I want you to consider what Kyle has endured just to stand here today: More than two and a half years in the hospital; grueling rehabilitation; brain surgery to remove shrapnel from his head; nearly 40 surgeries to repair a collapsed lung, fractured fingers, a shattered arm broken in more than 30 places; multiple skin grafts," Obama said. "He has a new prosthetic eye, new teeth, and one hell of a smile."
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Here, Carpenter tells WLTX about the support he's received since the life-changing incident. Below, he tells David Letterman what it was like to get a call from the President about receiving the Medal of Honor.
