Good Marine or Good Person? Kyle Carpenter

The concept of the brotherhood has been instilled in Marines since 1775, and it all comes down to the same question. “ Are you a good Marine?” The idea of being a quote on quote “good marine” is knowing your job and being good at Marine Corps things. This includes tight sleeves, good hair, pt, rifle score, Marine Corps knowledge, drill, etc. The list goes on and on. Marines might possess all these traits but are they good people or just good Marines? Kyle Carpenter is one of the few that happens to be both by possessing such humbling courage, natural loyalty, and his positive spirit even when the aspects of his life aren’t the ideal image of happiness.

For those of you who don’t know because I didn't, Kyle Carpenter is someone who fits the statement “ the few, the proud”. On November 21st 2010 Carpenter plunged himself on top of a grenade in order to save the lives of his fellow Marines. Then on June 19th 2014 he was the youngest Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor. I’m not going to get ahead of myself. Carpenter didn’t join the Marine Corps for selfish reasons like many Marines today do. He didn’t join for the benefits he enlisted because he wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself. He also felt the need to do something about the evil that goes on in Middle Eastern countries that happens to this day. Moments before the grenade was thrown Carpenter and his friend Nick were on watch. Carptener had made the joke that if a grenade was thrown he would “run off the fucking roof”. However, that’s not quite how things worked out. Carpenter stated that he doesn’t remember jumping on top of the grenade, he just remembers knowing it was the right thing to do. Not too many people think like that, but he’s not just a typical person. He is a Marine. It is in our blood to go down with honor.

Loyalty, one of the 14 leadership traits that recruits scream out of their chest at boot camp. In chapter two of Carpenter's book he shows a perfect example of this quality that almost seems rare nowadays. He stated that as a kid he and his brothers would play football with the neighborhood children. Some of the older kids would go hard on his little brothers just simply because they were younger, so Carpenter took it upon himself to go even harder on those simple minded children. Carpenter writes in his book that he can mess with his brothers but nobody else can. He kept his word close to his heart, delivering the same energy to his other brother by throwing himself on a live grenade.

“ Stay motivated” is another phrase that is commonly used among the United States Marine Corps. Carpenter describes it best, stating it is more annoying than motivating. When I hear someone say “ stay motivated” I can’t help but to make the biggest glare my eyes and cheekbones are willing to make. Although when Carpenter threw the phrase around in his book, I have been given a whole new perspective. Since the first time I heard those irritating words I interpreted it as the most irritating thing to ever leave somebody's mouth. This is next part is an excerpt from Kyle Carpenter book that gave the annoying cliche a much deeper meaning “ And somewhere in your broken, scrambled, mixed-up version of whoever you are right now as you try to rebuild your sense of self, there might be a piece of you who trust that there is a life on the other side of the storm… but right now the waves are so tall that you can’t even see over them. Stay motivated.” ( ch. 14 pg. 221) This is the only time I have and will approve of this line. Carpenter is at rock bottom, actually he's past that. He's hanging on a thread, lost his needle, doesn’t know how he is holding on anymore and is still able to find his motivation.

I don’t remember exactly where this is in the book but I remember Carpenter saying that he liked to iron his clothes because like any Marine he wanted to look nice. He didn’t mind his weekly haircuts, he seemed pleased to get them. He didn’t plan on earning the Medal of Honor; he didn’t even think he deserved it. Does this make him a good Marine or a good Person? Kyle Carpenter is beyond a good Marine, in a manner of fact he is outstanding. He not only holds all the traits of a “ good Marine” but also carries with him the qualities of being a good person. I have noticed that some Marines, mostly POGS (Person other than infantry) will only be “good Marines” in order to receive something in return. This includes but is not limited to walking up on top of a hill to receive a LOA (Letter of Appreciation) but will they jump on top of a grenade? My peers don’t strive to do their best, just look their best. Nobody is hungry to earn the Medal of Honor because it won’t just be handed to you like a COA (Certificate of Appreciation) when you give blood, that kind of action takes guts, literally.

References

CARPENTER, KYLE. YOU ARE WORTH IT: Building a Life Worth Fighting For. S.l.: WILLIAM MORROW & CO, 2019.