Kyle Carpenter, the youngest living Medal of Honor recipient, celebrated his 10th alive day with a moving video on Friday.
Carpenter received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama on June 19, 2014, for his actions in Marjah, Afghanistan 10 years ago when he leaped atop a grenade to shield a fellow Marine, absorbing the brunt of the blast with his own body.
“When a hand grenade detonates it sends shrapnel 700 feet, at 24,000 feet per second,” Carpenter narrates at the start of the six-minute clip. “On Nov. 21, 2010, those hot pieces of burning steel, laced with gunpowder, tore through my body changing my life forever.”
Carpenter’s selfless heroism nearly cost him his life. He lost his right eye, many of his teeth, and suffered wounds across his body which led to dozens of surgeries in the years that followed.
Throughout the video, which plays over a montage of footage from his childhood to his recovery to his life now, Carpenter talks about what that day means to him, and what he’s taken from it.
“No matter where you are in life, no matter how hard you’ve been knocked down, no matter how dark and difficult the days that lie ahead may be, always remember: You are worth it, and the smallest of steps completes the grandest of journeys.”
Related: Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter is coming out with a book he says ‘will truly help people’