--- title: "This is all that was left of Kyle Carpenter’s M4 after the attack that led to his Medal of Honor" description: "This is how the military's youngest living Medal of Honor recipient does a Throwback Thursday post." date: "2019-02-11" modified: "2019-02-11" authors: - name: "James Clark" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/james-clark/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/military-life/kyle-carpenter-medal-of-honor-rifle/" categories: - "Afghanistan War" - "History" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Past Conflicts" --- # This is all that was left of Kyle Carpenter’s M4 after the attack that led to his Medal of Honor ![]() This is how the military's youngest living Medal of Honor recipient does a Throwback Thursday post. Kyle Carpenter casually posted the photo, and *Forrest Gump* quote, to Facebook last Thursday which showed all that remained of his M4 after the attack that led to his Medal of Honor award. The Marine Corps infantryman was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Marjah, Afghanistan on Nov. 21, 2010, when he jumped on an enemy grenade that was hurled onto his rooftop security position, saving the life of another Marine by absorbing most of the blast. "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," [reads]() Carpenter's Medal of Honor citation. "Without hesitation, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Lance Corporal Carpenter moved toward 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." The lighthearted post quickly drew responses on Facebook from readers who joked that it just needed a bit of CLP and it'd be good as new, while others wondered if he had to tuck a few bills into the magazine well to get the armory to take it, or how he gets his pants on over his gigantic brass balls every morning — okay, nobody asked that last one, but it's a fair question. ### SEE ALSO: The Youngest And Oldest Living Marine Medal Of Honor Recipients Met, And This Epic Photo Is The Result ### WATCH NEXT: Sgt. Maj. John Canley Medal Of Honor ## Author James Clark is the editor-in-chief of Task & Purpose. He is a former Marine and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()