Medal of Honor Recipient to Share Message of Hope

On Nov. 21, 2010, Kyle Carpenter’s heart stopped beating aboard an evacuation helicopter after he had sustained a grenade blast while stationed on a rooftop security post in Marjan, Afghanistan.

It stopped a second time at a field hospital, where the seriously wounded Marine corporal first had been rushed.

Later, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, it would cease beating a third time.

To understand why Carpenter refers to Nov. 21, 2010 as his “Alive Day” is to appreciate his ordeal, his ongoing recovery and his inspiring message of hope, which he will deliver to a virtual audience live on Saturday from the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its annual Veterans Day program, “Honor The Heroes.”

In 2014, after more than three dozen surgeries and years of physical therapy, Carpenter received the Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest military honor — for his actions in Afghanistan.

He will share those experiences and more in the 90-minute Hall of Fame Productions program, presented by Sarchione Ford, that can be viewed on the Hall’s Facebook page beginning at 11 a.m.

“I’ve been given the chance to share my story with others. It’s not the story of a hero – but the story of an ordinary man placed in an extraordinary situation,” Carpenter said in a 2019 interview.

“I’m continually shown more and more examples … that maybe there is a bigger plan for me. And I need to be here. And I might not know what I’m doing, but that’s OK. I’m still here, and I’m trying to help people one day at a time.”

In 2017, Carpenter graduated with a degree in International Studies from the University of South Carolina. Since graduating, he has authored a bestselling book, “You Are Worth It: Building A Life Worth Fighting For,” which he wrote to help people through their own life struggles and to make them see what's extraordinary in themselves.