The Navy contracted a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that is set to be named after a Marine who received the Medal of Honor for saving a fellow service member’s life, Navy Secretary John Phelan announced Monday.
The destroyer Kyle Carpenter will be named after Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, who on Nov. 21, 2010, shielded another Marine from a grenade blast by throwing his body in front of the explosive. Carpenter was severely wounded as a result but managed to survive.
“In 2010, Cpl. Carpenter went above and beyond the call of duty to shield a fellow Marine from a grenade blast in Afghanistan,” Phelan wrote. “May this warship represent his valor, resilience and devotion to our Nation.”
Former Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced the arrival of the destroyer Kyle Carpenter in January.
Carpenter was serving with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, at the time of the blast.
Along with two reinforced Marine squads, and partnered with an Afghan National Army squad, Carpenter was in a small village in the Marjah District of Afghanistan. Coalition forces were shielding the local population from enemy activity, according to Carpenter’s Medal of Honor citation.
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Carpenter and another Marine were on a rooftop, just on the perimeter of Patrol Base Dakota, when enemy forces attacked. Suddenly, a hand grenade landed near Carpenter and the other Marine.
Carpenter immediately jumped in front of the explosive, absorbing the brunt of the detonation and saving the Marine’s life.
“By his undaunted courage, bold fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost certain death, Lance Corporal Carpenter reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service,” the citation reads.
On June 19, 2014, Former President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Carpenter, who is the youngest living recipient of the military decoration.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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