William Kyle Carpenter, a Marine veteran and USC student, will receive the Medal of Honor — the U.S.’s highest military honor — according to a report from the Marine Corps Times.
The Marine Corps Times cited anonymous sources who said Carpenter, a 24-year-old physical education student, will become the third Marine from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the award.
Carpenter, of Gilbert, will be the first South Carolinian to receive the award since the Vietnam War, according to The State.
Carpenter’s nomination came after he reportedly dove on top of a grenade in 2010 to save his friend, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio. The blast cost him an eye and most of his teeth and badly broke his arm and jaw. He’s had more than 30 surgeries since.
The White House and Marine Corps are finishing plans for a ceremony in Washington, sources told the Marine Corps Times.
Carpenter could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.