Kyle Carpenter

On June 19, 2014, Kyle was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama for his self-sacrificing act of valor. Kyle is the youngest living recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Kyle’s military awards include a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and the Purple Heart, the award for which he is most proud.

In 2015, Kyle was the first military veteran to be inducted into the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Kyle received the “Portrait Of A Nation” prize alongside Hank Aaron and Aretha Franklin.

In 2019, Kyle published his autobiography, You are Worth It: Building A Life Worth Fighting For. It not only tells the story of the events leading up to November 21st, 2010 and the recovery period which followed, but it is also a story of rebirth and overcoming adversity, of how Kyle battled back from the gravest challenge to forge a life of joyful purpose. His autobiography earned him a 2019, Silver Nautilus Book Award under the Heroic Journeys category.

Kyle graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and a minor in history and travels the country and world as a professional speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau. His most notable speaking engagements and appearances include, Fox and Friends, Forbes, Vanity Fair, Katie Couric, Simon Sinek, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, ESPN: E60, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Uber, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Facebook and David Letterman. He also appears in notable podcasts with podcasters such as John Maxwell, Rachel Hollis, Tanks Good New, Order of Man and Zero Blog Thirty.

Kyle joined the Headstrong Board of Directors in mid-2021.