The President of the United States, in the name of the Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Lance Corporal William Kyle Carpenter, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an automatic rifleman with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, Regimental Combat Team One, 1st Marine Division (Forward), 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on 21 November, 2010. Lance Corporal Carpenter was a member of a platoon-sized coalition force comprised of two reinforced Marine rifle squads, partnered with an Afghan National Army squad. The platoon had established Patrol Base Dakota two days earlier in a small village in the Marja District in order to disrupt enemy activity and provide security for the local Afghan population.

Lance Corporal Carpenter and a fellow Marine were manning a rooftop security position on the perimeter of Patrol Base Dakota when the enemy initiated a daylight attack with hand grenades, one of which landed inside their sandbagged position. Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, Lance Corporal Carpenter moved towards the grenade in an attempt to shield his fellow Marine from the deadly blast. When the grenade detonated, his body absorbed the brunt of the blast, severely wounding him but saving the life of his fellow Marine.

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 Medal of Honor citation says that then-Spec. Carter "resupplied ammunition to fighting positions, provided first aid to a battle buddy, killed enemy troops, and valiantly risked his own life to save a fellow soldier who was injured and pinned down by overwhelming enemy fire."

At his own news conference, Carter said he was accepting the honor on behalf of others.

"I am an American soldier, just like thousands who have served, will serve and are continuing to serve this great nation," he said.

When President Donald Trump posthumously bestowed Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Chapman with the Medal of Honor in a ceremony at the White House Aug. 22, it marked, in the words of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein "the beginning of a year-long celebration of this incredible warrior who inspires us all to be better airmen."

The following day, in a ceremony to mark Chapman’s induction into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, Air Force leaders delivered moving tributes to the man who so impressed everyone he touched during his too-short, but well-lived life.

The Aug. 23 remarks by Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright, Goldfein and Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson provide an unparalleled view into the heart and soul of the man who has now passed into Air Force legend.

Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Cole, the Marine Corps newest Silver Star recipient. He received the award Tuesday at Camp Lejeune, N.C., for heroism in Marjah, Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2010.

Cole's actions speak for themselves. As a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, he took an M240B machine gun from a fellow Marine who was wounded, abandoning cover to engage insurgents who were less than 100 meters away. He was eventually shot twice in the arm, leaving him gushing blood from his brachial artery.

Other references:
Dept of Defense Silver Star Recipient List

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"Then-Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself by acts of gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifle team leader with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan on October 25, 2007.

When an insurgent force split Specialist Giunta's squad into two groups, he exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover. Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Specialist Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security. His courage and leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon's ability [to] defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow paratrooper from enemy hands."

Staff Sgt. Giunta's personification of the Warrior Ethos, his selfless leadership, and his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above the beyond the call of duty" provide tremendous inspiration and exemplify the very best of the American Soldier today.

"He was filled with enthusiasm about life even though he had given his sight during the fight against terrorism in Iraq.

Ryan was a decorated and revered Navy SEAL. He was wounded while deployed in Iraq with his SEAL Team in 2006. Ryan suffered total sight loss when a sniper's round hit the butt of his machine gun, sending shrapnel through his right eye severing his olfactory nerve and left optic nerve. Ryan underwent what was to be his final major surgery this past week. Complications that we are not totally aware of took his life after the surgery in Phoenix AZ.

After retiring, Ryan summited Mt Rainier in 2008, bagged a magnificent elk in 2008 and returned to help other injured veterans to climb Mt Rainier in 2009. Ryan gave of himself selflessly both in military service and in private life. He is one of those few individuals you meet in life that is irreplaceable."

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On Sept. 8, 2009, Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer, then 21, defied the orders of his superiors while on duty in a remote province in eastern Afghanistan, raced into a "killing zone" and rescued 36 U.S. and Afghan troops.

When President Obama recently called to tell Meyer he would be awarded the Medal of Honor, the military's highest honor, Meyer didn't take the call. Meyer, now 23, was working a new job in construction and asked the president to call him back another time.

Navy Cross citation

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Read Full Citation here

His awards and decorations include the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, the Parachutist Badge and Canadian Jump Wings.

He has also been awarded two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, Valorous Unit Award, three Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Combat Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with Combat Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 3, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Army Service Ribbon.