Marine took grenade blast for comrade

• Retired Marine Cpl. William "Kyle" Carpenter receives award for valor


• He took a grenade blast in Afghanistan while shielding a fellow Marine


• He will be the eighth living Iraq, Afghanistan veteran to receive the award


• "I am just getting started," he says

(CNN) -- William "Kyle" Carpenter lost most of his jaw and an eye when he fell on a grenade to shield a fellow Marine from the blast. His body shattered, one lung collapsed, Carpenter was nearly given up for dead after that 2010 Afghanistan firefight.

Then he spent 2½ years in a hospital as doctors worked to rebuild his body. But if you think he's bitter, think again.

"I look back, and I'm actually very appreciative I had those two and a half years, because those years put things in perspective more than a whole lifetime of things could if I wasn't there," Carpenter said.

On Thursday, he became the eighth living veteran of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award.

President Barack Obama presented the medal at a White House ceremony.

Retired Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter shakes hands with President Barack Obama as he receives the Medal of Honor on Thursday, June 19. While serving in Afghanistan, Carpenter used his body to shield a fellow Marine from a grenade blast on November 21, 2010. Click through to see other Afghanistan veterans who have received the Medal of Honor.

U.S. Army Sgt. Kyle White receives the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, May 13. He was recognized for repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire in Afghanistan while trying to save the lives of fellow soldiers in November 2007. He is the 10th person to receive the military's highest honor for actions in Afghanistan.

President Barack Obama gives former U.S. Army Capt. William Swenson the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony on October 15, 2013. Swenson was cited for "his exceptional leadership and stout resistance against the enemy during six hours of continuous fighting" in the September, 8, 2009, Battle of Ganjgal in the Kunar province of Afghanistan, according to the Army.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ty M. Carter, left, watches as President Obama greets family members of fallen service members after Carter was awarded the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony on August 26, 2013. Carter was cited for his actions during the October 3, 2009, defense of Command Outpost Keating in Afghanistan, including "running through a hail of enemy rocket propelled grenade and machine gun fire to rescue a critically wounded comrade."

President Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha at the White House on February 11, 2013. Wounded early in the battle at Command Outpost Keating on October 3, 2009, Romesha "continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved confidently about the battlefield engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets," according to the Army.

President Obama awards the Medal of Honor to Marine Corps Sgt. Dakota Meyer on September 15, 2011. In fighting at Gangjal, Afghanistan, on September 8, 2009, while manning a gun truck, "Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle, some at near point blank range, as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area," his citation said.

President Obama walks with Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry, who received the Medal of Honor on July 12, 2011. Petry was cited for his actions during a battle in Paktya province, Afghanistan, on May 26, 2008, which included picking up an enemy grenade thrown at him and fellow soldiers. As he was about to throw it away, the grenade exploded and blew off his right hand, according to his citation.

President Obama applauds after presenting the Medal of Honor to Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta on November 16, 2010. Cited for his actions in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, in October 2007, Guinta was the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.

Philand Maureen Miller receives the Medal of Honor on behalf of their son, Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, on October 6, 2010. The sergeant was cited for engaging more than 100 enemy fighters in the Gowardesh Valley, Afghanistan, on January 25, 2008. Miller killed 10 of the enemy and wounded dozens more before being mortally wounded by enemy fire.

Paul and Janet Monti receive the Medal of Honor for their son, Army Sgt. First Class Jared C. Monti, on September 17, 2009. Monti was killed June 21, 2006, in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, while attempting to rescue one of his fellow soldiers and fighting off an attack from insurgents.

President George W. Bush presents the Medal of Honor to Daniel and Maureen Murphy, parents of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, on October 22, 2007. Murphy, a Navy SEAL, was killed June 28, 2005, when his four-man team was assaulted by 30 to 40 enemy fighters. Murphy exposed himself to repeated enemy fire while trying to radio for help for his besieged team, his citation said.

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Afghanistan vets receive Medal of Honor

Carpenter was wounded in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 21, 2010, while serving as a machine gunner, according to the White House.

Carpenter and another Marine were manning a rooftop position during a firefight with Taliban insurgents when a hand grenade landed nearby, the Marine Corps said.

Carpenter rushed toward the grenade and his body took most of the blast, according to the Marine Corps. The other Marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio, was also injured.

In a Defense Department video, Carpenter said he had to be revived while being evacuated by helicopter from the battle and was labeled dead on arrival at a field hospital. He later nearly died again at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he said.

"The enemy killed me. I came back, ran a marathon, completed a mud run and jumped from a plane. I won't ever quit. I am just getting started," he said in the video.

Carpenter, medically retired from the Marine Corps last year, is now a student at the University of South Carolina.

After braving gunfire to save comrades, Army vet gets highest U.S. military honor