Carpenter’s Medal of Honor nomination stems from reports that, as a 21-year-old lance corporal, he intentionally covered a grenade to save the life of his friend, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio on Nov. 21, 2010, as the two Marines were standing guard on a rooftop in the Marjah district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Both men survived the blast, but were badly wounded. Carpenter — whose Medal of Honor has not been officially announced — had serious injuries, including the loss of his right eye, the blowing out of his right ear drum, a fractured nose, and destruction of his lower jaw and cheek bones. Carpenter’s face is marked by shrapnel scars from the grenade’s explosion.
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