William Kyle Carpenter was the architect. You might be familiar with his name, or you might not be, but there is no denying the undeniable truth that he is an official American hero.
Kyle joined the United States Marine Corps when he was 21 years old and quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a Lance Corporal. He was deployed to the conflict in Afghanistan in the year 2010.
A grenade was thrown into the area where Kyle and another Marine were engaging in combat when it landed nearby. Without pausing for a second’s reflection, Kyle sprang into action…
It was a split-second choice that revealed a great deal about Kyle’s unbreakable strength, but it would ultimately alter the course of his life irreversibly. To protect his pal from the grenade’s blast, Kyle jumped on it and used his body as a shield.
He made the ultimate sacrifice by giving up his life for his fellow Marine to be able to survive.
As a natural consequence, he sustained life-threatening injuries as a direct consequence of the explosion that followed. His body was riddled with shrapnel, and the bones in his head and face were shattered to pieces. His body was covered in blood. In addition to this, Kyle suffered the loss of a portion of his jaw, and the collapse of one of his lungs, and was pronounced P.E.A. (patient expired on arrival) when he returned to Camp Bastion.
In a strict sense, Kyle had passed away. He managed to pull through and live.
In the subsequent two years, Kyle was required to go through a total of forty different surgical procedures. Because of his bravery, he was honored with the Purple Heart, and in addition, President Barack Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor, which is considered to be the nation’s highest military honor.
At this time, Kyle has finished his time in the military and is attending classes at the University of South Carolina in the hopes of earning a degree there.