White House announces Medal of Honor recipient
The White House on Friday announced that Army Staff Sergeant Ty M. Carter will receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, for his heroism during one of the most intense battles in the war in Afghanistan.
In the Oct. 3, 2009 battle at Combat Outpost Keating, Carter rescued a fellow soldier and carried him through a hail of bullets, unarmed. On that day nearly 300 insurgents, armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, surrounded the outpost in Afghanistan's Nuristan Province. Fifty-three Americans were stationed there; eight were killed in the battle, and 22 were wounded.
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Carter was wounded in the battle but managed to provide accurate fire against enemy combatants under intense pressure. At one point, he carried his fellow soldier Spc. Stephan L. Mace to safety, putting down his own weapon and facing open fire to help Mace and provide life-extending first aid.
Earlier this year, President Obama awarded Clinton Romesha, a former active duty Army staff sergeant, a Medal of Honor for his bravery in the same battle.
Carter is based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, where he lives with his wife Shannon and three children. He spent four years in the Marine Corps and attended college after his discharge. However, he felt he was destined for military service and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2008.
Carter already has several military decorations, including the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Army Good Conduct Medal.
Mr. Obama will present Carter with the Medal of Honor at the White House on August 26. The Medal of Honor is awarded to a member of the Armed Forces who distinguishes themselves by going above and beyond the call of duty, and risking his life, while engaged in military action against an enemy.
