Ty Michael Carter (born January 25, 1980) is a retired
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
staff sergeant and a
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient. He was awarded the United States Armed Forces' highest
military honor for his actions during the 2009
Battle of Kamdesh
The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. It occurred on October 3, 2009, when a force of 400 Taliban assaulted the American Combat Outpost ("COP") Keating near the town of Kamdesh in Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanist ...
in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Carter left active duty in September 2014.
Personal life
Carter was born in
Spokane
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
, Washington, on January 25, 1980, to Mark and Paula Carter, and moved to California's Bay Area in 1981. In 1991, his family moved back to Spokane, where he graduated from
North Central High School in 1998. He later settled in
Antioch, California
Antioch is the third-largest city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The city's population was 115,291 at the 2020 Unite ...
until he enlisted in the US Marine Corps.
Carter married April Ait in 2004 and divorced in 2008, having one daughter, Madison (born 2005). He later married Shannon Derby in 2009 and divorced in 2015, having one daughter, Sehara. Carter is also the stepfather of Jayden Young, Shannon's son from a previous relationship. Carter is dating Jennifer "Jenn" Aedo since 2016. Carter and Adeo have one daughter, Eve (born April 2017).
On July 13, 2000, his older brother, Seth Allen Carter (May 11, 1978 – July 13, 2000), was accidentally shot in the chest and killed by drunken friend Richard R. Sheppard, who was playing with a shotgun during a party in Spokane.
Military career
left, Carter in 2010
Carter enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
October 13, 1998, and attended the Marine Corps Combat Engineer School. He later served in
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, Japan, as an intelligence clerk. Carter showed promise in weapons’ marksmanship and was sent to
Primary Marksmanship Instructor School in 1999. He served two short training deployments; one to
San Clemente Island, California, and the other to Egypt, for
Operation Bright Star
Exercise Bright Star is a series of combined and joint training exercises led by United States and Egyptian forces in Egypt held every two years. These exercises began in 1980, rooted in the 1977 Camp David Accords. After its signing, the Eg ...
. Carter was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on 12 October 2002.
After his enlistment, Carter enrolled in college and studied biology at
Los Medanos Community College
Los Medanos College (LMC) is a public community college in Pittsburg, California. Established in 1974, LMC has an extension in Brentwood and is part of the Contra Costa Community College District.
History
The name, meaning "inland sand dunes ...
in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
where he met and began dating April Ait in early 2004. Ait soon became pregnant and they were married shortly thereafter. After the birth of their daughter Madison, some time traveling the United States, and subsequent divorce, Carter opted to join the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
.
Carter enlisted in the United States Army in January 2008 as a
cavalry scout
Cavalry Scout is the job title of someone who has achieved the military occupational specialty of 19D Armored Reconnaissance Specialist in the Combat Arms branch of the United States Army. As with all enlisted soldiers in the United States Caval ...
and received training at
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...
, Kentucky. From May 2009 to May 2010, he was deployed to Afghanistan with Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron,
61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division.
In October 2010, Carter was assigned as a
Stryker
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It ...
gunner with the 8th Squadron,
1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team,
2nd Infantry Division at
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw ...
, Washington. He was deployed to Afghanistan a second time in October 2012 and was thereafter stationed at
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw ...
with the
7th Infantry Division.
Carter works to destigmatize
posttraumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
(PTSD), which he prefers to be called "PTS", as he does not believe it should be termed a disorder. Carter has suffered from this condition.
[ He left active duty in September 2014.]
Medal of Honor action
While on his first deployment in Afghanistan, Carter was stationed at Combat Outpost (COP) Keating in Kamdesh District
Kamdesh District (Kamdeish District, ps, کامدېش ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی کامدیش) is a district of Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanistan, , Nuristan Province
Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Dari: ; Kamkata-vari: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, wi ...
. On October 3, 2009, the outpost came under heavy attack and Carter, then a specialist, distinguished himself in what came to be known as the Battle of Kamdesh
The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. It occurred on October 3, 2009, when a force of 400 Taliban assaulted the American Combat Outpost ("COP") Keating near the town of Kamdesh in Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanist ...
.
According to the detailed Official Narrative from the United States Army, more than 300 enemy fighters attacked COP Keating from surrounding high ground before 6 a.m.[ Under intense fire, Carter carried ammunition 100 meters across open ground from near his barracks to a ]Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...
at the south Battle Position, soon returning across the same distance to retrieve machine gun oil and more ammunition, and traverse that distance a third time to thus resupply the Battle Position.[ Though wounded within the first half-hour of battle, Carter provided accurate fire under intense pressure to drive back enemy that had infiltrated the camp perimeter.][ He then crawled under continuing fire to another vehicle, and retrieved needed weapons and ammunition to bring back to the Battle Position.][ Carter crossed 30 meters of open space to provide life-extending first aid to a wounded soldier, exposed to enemy fire, then carrying him back across the 30 meters to the Humvee.][ As the battle progressed, Carter ran toward the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) to coordinate reconnaissance and to obtain medical care for the wounded soldier, but, encountering the body of a fallen sergeant, found and retrieved a radio and returned to the Humvee.][ Carter found a ]litter
Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. Litter can also be used as a verb; to litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, ...
, and with a comrade carried the wounded soldier 100 meters across the original distance to an aid station; it was then about noon.[ The battle extended through nightfall when reinforcements could safely land by helicopter, by which time almost two-thirds of the 53 Coalition soldiers had been killed (8) or wounded (>25).]
President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
presented Carter the Medal of Honor in a White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
ceremony on August 26, 2013. The following day, Carter was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes.[
]
Awards and decorations
During his military career, Carter received a number of decorations.[ Carter is authorized to wear two ]service stripe
A service stripe is an embroidered diagonal stripe worn on the sleeve(s) of some military and paramilitary uniforms. In the case of the United States military, service stripes are authorized for wear by enlisted personnel on the lower part of the ...
s, three Overseas Service Bar
An Overseas Service Bar is an insignia worn by United States Army soldiers on the Army Service Uniform, and previously on the Army Green (Class A) and the Army Blue (Dress Blue) uniforms, that indicates the recipient has served six months overseas ...
s, as well as the Combat Service Identification Badge for the 4th Infantry Division and the Distinctive Unit Insignia
A distinctive unit insignia (DUI) is a metallic Heraldry, heraldic badge or device worn by soldiers in the United States Army. The DUI design is derived from the coat of arms authorized for a unit. DUIs may also be called "distinctive insignia" (D ...
of the 61st Cavalry Regiment. Carter's military decorations include the following awards:
Medal of Honor citation
In popular culture
The film ''The Outpost
Outpost may refer to:
Places
* Outpost (military), a detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main force or formation, usually at a station in a remote or sparsely populated location
* Border outpost, an outpost maintained by a so ...
'', released on July 3, 2020, and based on the book ''The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor'' by Jake Tapper
Jacob Paul Tapper (born March 12, 1969) is an American journalist, author, and cartoonist. He is the lead Washington anchor for CNN, hosts the weekday television news show ''The Lead with Jake Tapper'', and co-hosts the Sunday morning public af ...
, follows the series of events on the US military outpost Combat Outpost Keating
Combat Outpost Keating was a small American military outpost in Nurestan Province, in Afghanistan. Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. Combat Outpost Keating is bes ...
in the lead up to the Battle of Kamdesh
The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. It occurred on October 3, 2009, when a force of 400 Taliban assaulted the American Combat Outpost ("COP") Keating near the town of Kamdesh in Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanist ...
on October 3, 2009. In the film, Carter is portrayed by Caleb Landry Jones
Caleb Landry Jones (born December 7, 1989) is an American actor and musician, known for his roles as Banshee in '' X-Men: First Class'', Jeremy Armitage in '' Get Out'', Red Welby in ''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'', Ty Carter in '' T ...
; Scott Eastwood
Scott Eastwood (born Scott Clinton Reeves; March 21, 1986) is an American actor. His notable films are '' Flags of Our Fathers'' (2006), ''Gran Torino'' (2008), '' Invictus'' (2009), '' The Forger'' (2012), ''Trouble with the Curve'' (2012), '' ...
portrays Clinton Romesha
Clinton LaVor Romesha (//; born August 17, 1981) is a retired United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Kamdesh in 2009 during the War in Afghanistan.
Born into a family with a strong milita ...
.
Carter is featured in ''Medal of Honor'' Season 1, Episode 8''.''
See also
* List of post-Vietnam Medal of Honor recipients
References
External links
* Medal of Hono
"Official Narrative"
U.S. Army (detailed description of action)
* Medal of Hono
26 August 2013
Speech after being awarded the Medal of Honor
(video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Ty
1980 births
United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Living people
People from Antioch, California
Military personnel from Spokane, Washington
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
United States Army non-commissioned officers
United States Marines
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) recipients of the Medal of Honor
Military personnel from Washington (state)
Military personnel from California