William Kyle Carpenter – I Salute You

While Carpenter and Eufrazio were watching their arcs on a rooftop, a Taliban fighter lobbed a grenade up which landed between the two Marines. Doing the unthinkable, Carpenter launched himself on top of it, giving no thought to his own well being. The blast sent shrapnel into Carpenter’s right eye, knocked out many of his teeth, shattered his jaw, and broke his arm in dozens of places. Eufrazio has just recently regained the ability to speak, due to a brain injury from the blast and shrapnel.

Medical personnel that treated Carpenter’s wounds confirmed that the only possibility was that Carpenter used his torso to shield the blast. The scene showed that the blast was forced downward directly under Carpenter’s body, and that his flack vest and plates stopped most of the shrapnel from entering his body.

When most people hear this story their immediate thoughts are disbelief and confusion as to how someone could be capable of such a courageous and selfless act. This is more then just a selfless act, this is a deep instinct that is found only between brothers in arms. It would have been impossible for Carpenter to make the decision to give his own life in such a short period of time. Without question Carpenter said, today I will give my life for my brother.

Source: http://www.funker530.com/marine-who-dove-on-a-grenade-will-receive-medal-of-honor/