( 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 , the Marine lance corporal was nearly given up for dead after that 2010 Afghanistan firefight . Then he spent 2Â½ 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 was n't there , '' Carpenter said , according to the Marine Corps . On Monday , the White House announced he would become the eighth living veteran of U.S. combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the Medal of Honor , the nation 's highest military award . He 'll receive the medal on June 19 , the White House said . 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 . According to the Marine Corps , Carpenter rushed toward the grenade and his body took most of the blast . The other Marine , Lance Cpl . Nicholas Eufrazio , also was 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 wo n't ever quit . I am just getting started , '' he said in the video . Carpenter , medically retired from the Marine Corps last year as a corporal , is now a student at the University of South Carolina in Columbia , the White House said . After braving gunfire to save comrades , Army vet gets highest U.S. military honor .
Former William `` Kyle '' Carpenter . Marine Cpl will receive the Medal of Honor on June 19 . He took a grenade blast in Iraq , shielding a fellow Marine , the White House says . He will be the eighth living Iraq , Afghanistan veteran to receive the award . `` I am just getting started , '' he says in a the White House video .