WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama bestowed nation's highest
military honor, the Medal of Honor, on Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter on
Monday, saluting the veteran of the war in Afghanistan as "the essence
of true heroism," one still engaged in a battle against the lingering
emotional fallout of war.
Carter risked his life to save an injured soldier, resupply
ammunition to his comrades and render first aid during intense fighting
in a remote mountain outpost four years ago.
"As these soldiers and families will tell you, they're a
family forged in battle, and loss, and love," Obama said as Carter stood
at his side and members of his unit watched in the White House East
Room.
Then as an Army specialist, Carter sprinted from his barracks into a
ferocious firefight, a day-long battle on Oct. 3, 2009, that killed
eight of his fellow soldiers as they tried to defend their outpost – at
the bottom of a valley and surrounded by high mountains – from the
onslaught of a much larger force of Taliban and local fighters.
Still suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, Carter stood
nearly emotionless during the ceremony, although a faint smile crossed
his face near the end that turned into a broad grin as Obama hung the
metal and its blue ribbon around his neck and the audience – which
included 40 members of the recipient's family – answered with a rousing
standing ovation.
Later, Carter told reporters outside the White House that receiving
the medal had been "one of the greatest experiences" for his family and
that he would "strive to live up to the responsibility."
He also said he wanted to help the American public to better
understand the "invisible wounds" still inflicting him and thousands of
others.
"Only those closest to me can see the scars," Carter said, reading
his statement. He said Americans should realize that those suffering
from post-traumatic stress syndrome "are not damaged, they are just
burdened by living when others are not."
Obama praised Carter for talking openly about the disorder for some
time. Obama said that Carter, like many veterans, "at first resisted
seeking help," but later accepted counseling.
"The pain of that day ... may never go away," Obama said, including
flash-backs and nightmares. But he praised Carter for seeking help and
pushing back, and for acknowledging his struggle publicly and helping
other troops with their recovery.
"Let me say it as clearly as I can to any of our troops or veterans
who are watching and struggling," Obama said. "Look at this man. Look at
this soldier. Look at this warrior. He's as tough as they come, and if
he can find the courage and the strength to not only seek help but also
to speak out about it, to take care of himself and to stay strong, then
so can you."
The battle, one of the fiercest of the war in Afghanistan, occurred
while Carter was stationed at Command Outpost Keating in the eastern
part of the country. The roughly 53 U.S. troops at the outpost were at
first overpowered by 300 or more Taliban fighters. But despite
overwhelming numerical odds and "blizzards of bullets and steel," Carter
and his fellow soldiers "pushed the enemy back. The soldiers retook
their camp."
In February, Obama bestowed the Medal of Honor on another survivor of
that firefight, former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha. It was the first
time since the Vietnam War that two living soldiers of the same battle
were presented with the Medal of Honor.
Carter, 33, is a former Marine who later enlisted in the Army and is
currently assigned to the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base
Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
He grew up in Spokane, Wash., and also has received a Purple Heart and many other military medals.
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