Ty Carter awarded Medal of Honor

President Obama awarded Army Staff Sergeant Ty M. Carter the nation's highest military honor in a ceremony in the East Room Monday.

Carter received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Oct. 3, 2009, in which he rescued a fellow soldier in the battle at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan, one of the most intense battles of the 12-year-long war.

The 33-year-old Carter is credited with helping hold COP Keating against a 12-hour coordinated attack by more than 300 insurgents, as he repeatedly replenished ammunition to the defense line, killed enemy troops and held a breach on the outpost's southern flank.

Carter also ran to the rescue of an injured fellow soldier, Spc. Stephan L. Mace, who was injured and pinned down in an exposed position.

A native of Spokane, Wash., Carter enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1998 after graduating high school and attended the Marine Corps Combat Engineer school. He served short training deployments and was honorably discharged in 2002.

In 2008, after earning a degree in biology and the birth of his daughter, Carter returned to military service when he enrolled in the Army.

He was deployed to Afghanistan in May 2009, sent on a 12-month tour to Nuristan Province.

Carter remains on active duty, using his experience as a survivor of post-traumatic stress disorder to destigmatize the condition and encourage others to seek help.

In February 2011, Obama awarded Carter's fellow soldier, former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha, the Medal of Honor for his actions in the same battle. Romesha was commended for rallying his comrades and leading the counterattack, continuing to fight despite his own injuries.