You have probably heard his name before. He is a true American hero.
His name is William Kyle Carpenter. He fought for this country as a United States Marine.
At the age of 21, he earned the rank of Lance Corporal. In 2010, he was sent to fight in Afghanistan.
During a firefight, Kyle saw a grenade land near where he and another Marine were fighting.
Without a second, though, Kyle used his body as a shield and covered the grenade.
He was willing to give his life to save the life of a fellow Marine.
The human body was not designed to withstand that kind of explosive force and Kyle’s body had been severely damaged.
Not only did he have shrapnel all over his body the bones in his skull and face were shattered. But, Kyle survived.
Part of his jaw as lost, his lung collapsed, and he was even pronounced P.E.A. when he finally got to Camp Bastion.
P.E.A. means patient expired on arrival.
So, technically the enemy grenade did kill him – but he wasn’t done here on earth yet, and he came back.
Over the next two years, Kyle had forty different surgeries.
He was awarded the Purple Heart for his act of incredible bravery.
He also got the Medal of Honor which was given to him by President Barack Obama.
Today, Kyle is retired from the military and is working on getting his degree in International Studies from the University of South Carolina.
In his spare time, he gives motivational speeches and charity work.
Take a look at this video
