University of South Carolina alumnus and Medal of Honor recipient Marine Corporal (retired) Kyle Carpenter will be recognized at Monday’s (Jan. 20) national championship college football game.
On Thursday, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that a guided missile destroyer would be named the USS Kyle Carpenter. The decision aligns with the Navy’s tradition of naming destroyers after heroes and leaders in the Naval service.
"The only honor greater than this Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG 148) bearing my name was being able to serve and sacrifice for this country that I love, as a United States Marine,” Carpenter said in a news release from the U.S. Navy. “It is humbling beyond measure to know that, in spirit, I will be sailing the seas with our nation's warriors, the might of the United States Navy, and with those who faithfully stand ready to protect our freedoms and people around the world. And, to all who have served during the global war on terror, this is a moment and legacy for us all. Hooyah and Semper Fidelis!"

Carpenter, who earned his bachelor’s degree in international studies from USC, is best known for his courage during the war in Afghanistan. In November 2010, when he was 21 years old, he shielded a fellow Marine from a grenade blast, saving his life. Carpenter was severely injured, going into cardiac arrest and flatlining three times. He lost his right eye, shattered his teeth and jaw. He spent five weeks in a coma and two years in the hospital, undergoing more than 40 surgeries to reconstruct his face, arm and other body parts.
In 2014, Carpenter received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s top award for valor in combat, from President Barack Obama. At 24 years old, he became the youngest living recipient of the award and only the second living Marine honored since Vietnam.
At the award ceremony in Washington, Obama said: “Anybody who has had a chance to get to know this young man knows you’re not going to get a better example of what you want in an American or a Marine. Despite all the attention, he’s still the same humble guy from Gilbert, South Carolina … These days he’s also at the University of South Carolina, ‘just a normal college student,’ he says, cheering for the Gamecocks.”
When he earned his degree from USC in December 2017, Carpenter received a standing ovation at his commencement ceremony.
In the years since, he has been a motivational speaker, sky-dived, traveled extensively and written a book, You Are Worth It: Building a Life Worth Fighting For. He also has led Williams-Brice Stadium in the Game-Cocks cheer.
The college football national championship, with Notre Dame facing Ohio State, will kick off at 7:45 p.m. Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Pre-game ceremonies inside the stadium begin at 7:30 p.m.