Medal of Honor (2018) s01e08 Episode Script
Ty M. Carter
More than 40 million Americans have served in the United States Armed Forces.
Of those, fewer than 3,600 have been awarded the military's highest honor.
Mace! Are you okay? Are you okay? Help me! Where did we find such men? We find them where we've always found them, in our villages and towns, on our city streets, in our shops, and on our farms.
summoned a degree of courage that stirs wonder and respect and an overpowering pride in all of us.
It recognizes gallantry that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
We may not always hear of their success, but they are there in the thick of the fight, in the dark of night, achieving their mission.
Many of you volunteered for service after September the 11th, 2001.
You saw that our nation was attacked and when the country called upon you, you said, "Let me serve.
Let me join in the fight to defeat the terrorists, so attacks like that will never occur on our soil again.
" And that's what you're doing here in Afghanistan.
You're changing you're helping to change this part of the world.
There was a period when American troops in Afghanistan were actually having some success in what's called counterinsurgency, which is to help the Afghan people improve their lives and thus, by doing so, separating them from insurgents.
The plan was to expand into Northeastern Afghanistan in a province called Nuristan.
Initially it was to continue to push U.
S.
presence up into these remote areas so that there could be governance over the entire country.
COP Keating, Combat Outpost Keating, was in one of the most remote areas, I think, in Afghanistan, and that's obviously saying a lot.
It's a relatively small camp.
Only 52, 53 American troops were there.
It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
Their barracks were pretty grim.
But for the men of the COP Keating, it was their world.
Snuck into Bundermann's room while he was sleeping, tied a goat to his bed.
- No fucking way.
- Yeah.
- What did Bundy do? - Bundy? Where's the other 35? Fucking freaked out, man.
What would you do? Ty Carter was a little bit older and by saying a little older, like 25 or 26.
I think at his age and his life experiences, he just had a difficult time relating to a lot of the 18-, 19-year-old kids.
He was, like, a squared-away guy.
I mean, you told the guy to do something, he would do it.
 He showed up on time, he was punctual, he was very physically fit.
So, by definition, I mean, he was a good soldier.
But at the same time he was, you know, by the book.
Just professional face all the time.
He made it very apparent that he was a former Marine, and whatever was implemented, he would always have a contrast to how the Marines would do it and why they did it better.
When Ty Carter was in the Marines, he basically was asked to leave.
He'd been punished a number of times for fighting.
He's not a get-along-to-go-along guy.
Carter and I didn't really get along.
From day one, when he came to the unit, we didn't get along.
Not only did he kind of keep to himself and he really wasn't he really didn't hang out with us or have beers with us, when we would joke fun with him, he would just be stale face, and you're just like, "Come on, dude.
We're fucking in Afghanistan, like bro, we're like in Afghanistan, man, like, it's okay.
" We will fight this war on terror with every resource of our national power.
And then our servicemen and women will come home with the honor they have earned.
By 2009, the insurgents doubled down.
Morale and fear among the Afghan populous who were in a place where counterinsurgency no longer was working.
It's hard to imagine a base set up in a worse spot.
Combat Outpost Keating was placed at the bottom of three steep mountains.
Taliban insurgents were constantly coming in and out right through that direct area.
Soldiers would arrive in this camp by helicopter in the dead of night so that they could get in and out without getting shot down.
I was actually on the first bird in.
The next morning, I wake up and I remember coming outside and I'm just thinking like, "What the fuck is this type of terrain situation?" We were just completely surrounded, man.
Like, there was mountains on every single side of us.
It was like living in a fishbowl.
After months of watching Combat Outpost Keating, the insurgents knew what the Americans would do to protect themselves.
We would get attacked pretty regularly, I would say two to three times a week All these small, sporadic small-arm fires that we'd get, I personally believe we were being tested.
It was kinda to see how we reacted to the firefights.
Strike one! Elevation 1449.
2127 need elevation again.
The enemy had the gift of time.
They knew where the vulnerable spots were.
They knew when the vulnerable times of the day were.
Just based on where it was, based on the terrain, it was a tough place to fight.
You always want to seize the high ground, and at that particular place, at COP Keating, the ground did not facilitate their defense.
We'd usually do two patrols a day, and in our downtime, we just had to keep ourselves entertained.
We played a lot of jokes on each other.
We're gonna go throw it in the L.
T.
's room.
He's sleeping.
What the fuck?! Jesus fucking Christ, man! Bundermann got a goat thrown in his room on his birthday.
Scared the shit out of him.
Get this fucking goat outta here! What the fuck?! The Army is a great lifestyle, and being a platoon leader was the greatest job I've ever had in my life.
You have these really intense moments and sometimes that's a coupla minutes and sometimes it would last all day.
- Fire! - We got it! And then you may have a long period of time where it's nothing going on, where it's guys sitting around playing Spades, smokin', jokin', chewin', drinking way too much coffee, and you build a certain kind of bond with those guys and it's not something you can replicate.
I don't know why you won't just stop, dude.
Alright? Ty Carter and his headstrong personality was the perfect example of just how unpredictable heroism and courage can be.
I wouldn't say that he would have won any popularity contests at COP Keating, nor would I think that he would care.
Not every hero comes from the perfect, stable home, and is raised on the right track and does everything right.
A lot of times the heroes are the ones who maybe haven't gotten all the breaks, and who maybe have had a difficult time fitting in and figuring out their way.
And it's almost as though those scars, that pain, allows them, at the right moment, to summon the best that is in them.
The gunfire came at 5:58 a.
m.
, October 3rd, 2009.
It started out just as a normal "Alright, I'm getting shot at.
" And then we realize that this was different and we were in trouble.
And it was just fucking muzzle flashes sporadically, through the mountains, like coming in, and I was just like, "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Like, they're like, right there.
Like I could see them.
One of our battle drills was we always resupplied ammo with guys that weren't on actual guard.
Carter's job was to run ammo back and forth through horrendous fire.
Not a job that many people would volunteer for.
The enemy was just barraging the COP and I realized it was just gonna be us until we could get air support on station.
you're at a football game.
So think about running the length of that football field while somebody is shooting at you, and you're doing that multiple times.
So we had a couple battle positions that we called LRAS 1 and LRAS 2.
And I was in the Humvee, LRAS 2.
That's where we had the 50 cal.
They knew if they could take that out, along with the mortar pit, the whole western side of the camp would be completely open.
An RPG hit the 50 cal.
So when Carter got there with ammo, we didn't have the 50 cal to use it.
More ammo.
Jesus, Carter, shut the fucking door! Get the fuck out! Carter shows up at LRAS 2, Larson is in the Humvee with two other guys, Justin Gallegos and Stephan Mace.
Mace is injured at this point.
Need those rounds! Hurry up! Yeah, I got you.
You alright, Mace? I'm good.
Look at me.
You alright? I'm good.
Fuck, there's hundreds of them! This was a volume offire we had not seen previously, and it was overwhelming.
Fuck! Why don't we have mortars on those hills? The mortar pits are pinned.
It was the first thing they hit.
Comms and power are down, too.
Fuck! The enemy's intent wasn't harassment fire.
Their intent was to overtake the COP and kill or capture every soldier that was on that base.
Shut the fucking door! - You alright? - Yeah.
Well then Martin got there with ammo, so I went from me being by myself to five of us sitting in a Humvee, going: "This is pretty fucking bad, isn't it?" This is Gallegos at LRAS 2.
We're under heavy fire.
Anyone there? The Humvee is essentially bulletproof.
A lot of times 50 cal won't penetrate, 308 won't penetrate, but RPG-7s will.
And they'll go right through and kill everybody with one RPG.
This is Gallegos at LRAS 2.
We're under heavy attack.
Anyone there? Is anyone there? You okay? Hey, Carter, are you okay? Are you okay? This is Gallegos at LRAS 2.
We're under heavy attack.
Anyone there? Is anyone there? Fuck! We didn't have any communication with the rest of the troop at that point.
- Fuck! They're inside! - Where? They're inside the fucking wire! Enemy in the wire.
The Taliban are inside the camp.
It makes it clear to them that they can't stay in this armored Humvee.
This is not They're going to die.
We need to get the fuck outta here.
That quick, Gallegos came up with us three are gonna bound to the back of the latrines, you two cover us.
Mace, Martin, you're with me.
Carter, Larson, cover us.
When we turn that corner, you guys follow.
Copy.
Go! Hey, they're across! We're clear! Shit! Get inside the truck! Carter! Get in the fucking truck now! Gallegos took a direct hit from a machine gun, Mace took a hit from an RPG, and Martin ended up, we didn't we never seen him alive again.
This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Is anyone there? This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Is anyone there? So we just kind of sat there for what seemed like a week.
This is Red Dragon, LRAS 2.
Does anybody copy? Fifty Americans versus somewhere between 350 and 400 insurgents who had been preparing for this day for months, if not years.
The amount of firepower that they unleashed on us is something that I will never, ever forget.
Yeah It's impossible to quantify the amount of firepower that they brought on us that day.
At that point, it was me and Carter in the Humvee and I was trying to go through every channel and try to get comms with anybody, and I couldn't get anybody.
This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Is anyone there? Everything started going through our head.
What if we're the only two left alive? This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Is anyone there? - Is anybody fucking left? - Hey.
Carter had looked over and seen Mace moving.
Oh my God, Ma - You gotta let me go out and get him.
- No.
- You gotta let me - No fucking way! I'm not losing you, too.
He wanted to jump out right then and grab him.
I said, "No way.
" I said, "You're no good to him dead.
We gotta wait for the Apaches to do a gun run.
" LRAS 2.
Does anyone copy? Help me, please! This is Red Dragon, LRAS 2.
Does anyone copy? Mace.
What the fuck? Come on! Is anyone left? Mace, take cover! Fuck! Help me I gotta get him.
Please, Brad, you gotta let me get him.
You gotta let me get him.
You stay fucking low.
I'll cover you.
Fuck! Gallegos is dead.
What? Gallegos is dead.
Fuck! - Gonna get you home, buddy.
- Okay.
What you gonna eat? What you gonna eat when we get home? - Fucking burger, bro! - Burger.
Fucking cheeseburger, bro! Too tight! Aghh! I want you to put pressure right here.
Okay.
God damn! Fuck! - Come on, relax.
- I'm fucking trying, bro.
What did you do last Christmas? Fucking drank myself to sleep.
Shit! - This is what you're gonna do.
- Yeah.
- Look at me.
- Yeah.
You're gonna put your arms around my back, I'm gonna pick you up, alright? Put your arm around me.
Don't worry, your ankle's gonna be fine once we find it.
Fuck you! Let's put this in context.
He's under enemy fire, he exposes himself, he sees his wounded friend, he puts a tourniquet on him to stop the bleeding, grabs the radio so they can secure their communications, then he lifts him up, he carries him back under enemy fire again, in order to bring that soldier back to safety.
This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Does anyone copy? Pressure.
Lucky for us, Ty found Gallegos's radio.
This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Does anyone copy? Red Dragon, what's your status? Bundermann, this is Larson.
I'm with Carter and Mace.
I still think even though they didn't get along, there was a brotherhood with an incredible bond that is undeniable.
Mace is wounded.
It's bad.
Oh, gimme a cigarette.
- Come on.
- We don't have no cigarettes.
Dude, one cig.
A cigarette.
That's all he wanted.
And I didn't have any cigarettes.
We need to get him to the aid station now.
We're gonna get you the hell outta here.
Okay, hold up.
I'm gonna figure this out.
It's good to hear your voice.
We didn't know anyone else was alive.
By this point, we had some level of air support so we could start maneuvering out and try to give them cover.
If I lay down a fuckton of cover fire, can you guys get to the aid station? Fuck, yeah! That's a "hell, yeah!" from me and Carter.
Okay, listen up.
In 90 seconds, I'm gonna have every weapon system on this base lighting up those mountains.
The big ones will clean up the rest.
When you hear that first bomb drop, you run like hell.
Copy? Copy you.
Now, you better hold the fuck on, alright? 'Cause we're gonna haul ass.
We gave them all targets and said, "Blow all this up.
" Once the 120 hit, that was our cue to run Go! and that was everybody else's cue to open fire on the mountains and give us enough time to get Mace to the aid station.
Close your door! Ready? Go! That's a long run carrying a stretcher.
I mean that's a long run carrying a stretcher.
A lot of people gave Ty shit for the way he was, but at the end of the day, when it comes down to the wire and the bullets are flying, he did his job, and he did a magnificent thing in the circumstances that were surrounding him.
During that whole ordeal of getting Mace, we were working together as a team.
At that point, a relationship with somebody doesn't matter.
You're It's all about saving your brothers.
Bring him in! Okay.
Take it! Look at me.
I got you.
Stay with me.
You're alright.
You're good.
You're doing well.
Hey, I need some volunteers.
We got a fire outside the TOC.
You're doing good, soldier.
Over and over, he ran out into that torrential downpour, and it's just a kind of heroism and valor that most of us, I think can't even begin to imagine.
The U.
S.
Military can bring an incredible amount of force when it wants to.
We just started pummeling, and we started winning.
The battle would rage for a total of 13 hours, coming to an end only with the arrival of massive air support that wiped out the Taliban's main artillery hub.
Back at the aid station, Stephan Mace's own battle, for his life, was still touch and go.
But he wasn't in it alone.
My first impression was it looked bad, but he had a tourniquet in place, his leg was splinted, this was all first-responder care that Ty Carter did for him, and to our delight, he responded fairly well.
The thing that really stuck out with me is his repeated requests to smoke a cigarette, like, "I need a cigarette.
I need a cigarette.
Can I smoke a cigarette?" And we were like, of course, "No, you can't smoke a cigarette.
" There's some glimmer of hope.
We got Mace out, like Mace is gonna live, and, you know, you're just, like, holding on.
I think I found out around midnight or one in the morning that he had didn't make it.
Mace died.
They got him to Bostick and he didn't make it.
And that was fucking that was a pretty low point 'cause it was just, like Ty and them were doing everything they could to save him, and then it's like, it's fucking ripped away.
It was ripped away real quick, and it's like, you know That was the hardest part.
Stephan Mace was one of eight U.
S.
soldiers lost in the attack on COP Keating, the deadliest battle in the long-running Afghanistan War.
Three days later, on October 6th, 2009, COP Keating was evacuated.
Classified documents and munitions were removed and the base was bombed.
The place so many fought so hard to protect, was gone.
I got that phone call, he goes, "Your son is okay.
" So, me hearing that, someone from Fort Carson, Colorado, "Your son is okay.
" Kinda goes After that deployment, when I came home, my father was waiting for me.
I think that that was an extreme I don't know, a gift.
When he came in, Dad was there.
It was nice having a father or somebody that you love there.
He sees me, got a big old grin on his face.
Especially when you're coming home from I wouldn't say hell, but pretty close to it.
When we returned home is when things started to get kinda bad for me.
I believed that I was a failure and because I couldn't save Mace.
You get the dreams and you get the depression and the anxiety and I would wear dark shades inside.
When it was quiet, the ringing in my ears would get louder and then that would cause a lot of memories and then I'd feel upset or depressed and it got to a point where I was spending a lot of my deployment money on, you know, getting cabs and going out to the bars and stuff like that.
And one of my NCOs was pretty much saying, "You need to fix this or we're gonna take your rank.
" So, I went to counseling.
Ty's platoon sergeant brought him to me, asking me to sit down and talk to him because of what happened at Keating and specifically because of the events that Ty had been involved with.
For Ty, it's that wishing he could do more, could have done more sooner.
The helplessness and frustration in that moment were tremendous.
After the firefight, I was going through severe post-traumatic stress.
I was recovering from the trauma.
And with the violent images flashing through my head all the time, and the nightmares and the anxiety, I had to relearn how to work with myself.
Hey, Ty's here.
How you doing, man? - Good.
How are you guys? - Good to see you.
- Hi, Ty.
How are you, honey? - Good.
From what I know of him, from what I see from him every day, I mean, he's a daddy.
He has three girls.
We watch Disney movies, he paints nails.
He's just as much into doing all that girly stuff with them just as much as I am.
He loves hanging out with people, he loves talking about everyday things, you know, drinking beer, like, he's just he's just Ty.
I don't know how other way to put it.
There it is! Here we go! Distract him! I was on vacation with my family in California, and I got a phone call.
"I represent the President of the United States.
Will you take his call?" And I was like "Yes.
" I researched it once I found out that we were going to the White House and then it was like, "Oh, you're gonna meet the President.
" That was really cool.
This is a historic day.
The first time in nearly half a century, since the Vietnam War, that we've been able to present the Medal of Honor to two survivors of the same battle.
What's especially interesting about COP Keating is it's one battle in which two Medals of Honor were awarded.
The first going to Clint Romesha just a few months before.
The White House ceremony where I received the medal, it was a blur for me.
As I was standing there on the podium, I was nervous, and they're like: "What are you thinking while you're standing there?" And I was like, honestly, I was thinking, "Wiggle my toes, bend my knees, don't pass out, wiggle my toes, bend my knees, don't pass out.
" It was chaos.
The blizzard of bullets and steel, and then they saw him, their buddy, Stephan, on the ground, wounded, about 30 yards away.
When he saw Stephan Mace suffering out there Ty had already lost his own brother, his direct brother, and he'll he would do anything he could not to lose another brother.
If you're left with just one image from that day, let it be this: Ty Carter bending over, picking up Stephan Mace, cradling him in his arms, and carrying him through all those bullets and getting him back to that Humvee.
My mother says that that because my brother died, erm while I was in the Marine Corps, my mother said that he was watching over me.
So and that's the only way I can explain the way that I survived.
Other than the fact that my brothers were kicking butt and taking names, providing cover fire.
So all he had to do was go and reach around and set it up, and hook it onto Ty, and then turn and shook his hand and Proud moment.
I know you're proud, but try not to cry so much.
I'm tearing up like I always do.
Because he just gets all emotional and They immediately look at me to see if I'm tearing up, meaning I'm enjoying it.
Yeah.
They make fun of me that way, which is cool.
And I was like, "Any time you speak, have some water there so if you start feeling it, you can swallow the tears and keep going.
" Excuse me.
Ty Carter and Clint Romesha were not alone in being recognized for their heroism at COP Keating.
Their unit is the most decorated of the war in Afghanistan to date.
Brad Larson was awarded the Silver Star for valor in combat, along with eight others.
27 soldiers received the Purple Heart, and 37 received Army Commendation Medals with Valor.
There were three Bronze Stars, 18 Bronze Stars with Valor, and three Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Finally, as we honor Ty's courage on the battlefield, I want to recognize his courage in the other battle he has fought.
Ty has spoken openly, with honesty and extraordinary eloquence, about his struggle with post-traumatic stress.
It took me two and a half years to be okay with myself, so it took two and a half years for me to recover from my trauma, to where I no longer was drastically affected by post-traumatic stress.
I suffer from post-traumatic stress, alright? There's no cure for it.
It's just who we are.
It's how we learn.
I believe that part of my responsibility or job is to educate people that are suffering with post-traumatic stress, to let them know that it's completely, totally normal.
Every single person on this planet that is alive has some form of post-traumatic stress.
With all the work we've done, we're changing the way the world sees this thing.
It's not necessarily a disease, if it's natural.
The only issue is, is how we're treated when we are labeled with this.
We are trying to fix that.
Ty wants to get rid of the "D.
" PTS, just keep it "PTS,"Â get rid of the "D," get rid of the "disorder.
" Army Staff Sergeant Ty Carter here, I think an important part of your story is you're advocating and talking about something that people don't necessarily like to talk about.
It is PTS.
Yes.
And, of course, you don't like to call it "PTSD" because you say it's a different thing, right? - It's totally not a disorder.
- What do you say to your brothers and sisters that are just holding it in? We all go through pains.
We all go through traumas.
If we use the resources of our family and our friends, if we utilize our counselors, then we can all share the burden together and we can grow and evolve together.
Ty, thank you so much for being here.
Of course, you work passionately on behalf of the soldiers.
We thank you for I think what's interesting about Ty, he wasn't particularly connected to the other soldiers in the unit, and yet, he was willing to die for them.
Specialist Stephan Mace and I weren't very close before the battle.
We'd never spoken much.
But it is one of my biggest regrets, of my life, that I could not do more for Mace that day.
Ty Carter had the courage to run out there and risk his own life to get my son.
I mean, it's just, it's so overwhelming.
Vanessa I'm sorry we weren't able to bring your boy home.
By him doing that, my son did not die alone.
My son died in peace.
How can you ask for anything more than that? More than half of us were wounded and almost everyone was left with deep, invisible wounds to their hearts and minds.
These are the unlikely heroes of Combat Outpost Keating.
Brave men, brothers, and soldiers for life.
The Medal of Honor is ultimately about selflessness.
Men receive this award not for just killing the most enemy or fighting the bravest It's about being willing to sacrifice one's own life for his men.
It's more than the bravery.
It's more than knowing that an individual is willing to do whatever it takes to defend our country.
And I've had the opportunity to meet Medal of Honor recipients, and I'm awed.
I mean, it's literally, it's It's tough to describe.
Whenever a Medal of Honor recipient walks into the room, everyone goes silent.
People stand as if the American flag was coming in.
It's an award that's held higher than any other.
It's It's our form of knighthood.
I think the significance of the Medal of Honor is that it recognizes those who exhibit valor, heroism.
It is about an idea of what this country stands for.
The Medal of Honor is the ultimate, and given only in those very, very rare cases where the individual has demonstrated truly above and beyond the call-of-duty performance.
Where the likelihood of them becoming a casualty or being killed is very high.
You know, you hear the stories, you read the citations, and what motivates them to do these superhuman feats? It is about love.
I think it is about family.
But there are times, it's just who you are and what your inner spirit compels you to do in a moment of extreme danger.
I don't believe the medal represents an individual.
I think the medal represents our military, our nation, our families, our beliefs.
Everything that we've sacrificed over the last 300 years to make sure that we today, stand here, as the greatest nation in the world, willing to do everything that we can to make sure we live in a peaceful world.
It represents us.
It represents who we are as a nation.
I went out there and I didn't have a rifle on me and I grabbed both 60-millimeter mortar cans and I turned around, and there's this dude, just this Taliban dude or Afghan dude, I mean, maybe 25, 30 yards from me.
He's got his weapon slung, and he literally has his back turned to me, and he's, like, yelling at somebody else, and I'm literally just standing there with ammo cans in both my hands, unarmed.
I was like, "If this dude turns around, I'm dead.
I'm dead.
" And he never turned around.
He never fucking turned around.
I went in, like, put the ammo cans down, and I was just, like, sitting there just like, "What the fuck is going on?" Like because I That's when it kinda hit me, like, "Okay, we might be stranded.
" Everybody might be dead because if these dudes are just walking in, or just walking around our base with their weapons slung, like what's going on? I'm on the phone, RPG explodes dust, smoke, everywhere, kinda black out for a moment or so, get knocked on the ground, see there's smoke everywhere, my ears are ringing, and just kind of that fog or haze of just kind of being getting your bell rung.
Maybe a minute or so after we kind of collectively figure out what's going on, I'm on the radio listening and Hobbes, Jeff Hobbes, is standing next to me and kinda look at my hand and it has this just tremor, a significant tremor, not like a little short tremor, it's a it's a sharp tremor that I looking at my hand and, like, it feels like my hand is detached from my body 'cause I'm not able to control this tremor and Jeff kinda looks at me, and I look at him in the eyes and we have sort of a brief moment where Jeff's like, "I'm pretty scared, Doc.
" And I was like, "Yeah, Jeff, I'm pretty scared, too!" But it was, it seemed like something so simple to say, but erm I don't think either one of us have ever experienced this type of fear.
I was probably the most scared I've ever been in my entire life at that moment 'cause I think that's when it sunk in that, erm we're probably not gonna make it out of there that day.
I think that's the moment that it hit us that, this is We're not gonna ma we're probably not gonna make it outta there alive.
Raz actually stayed the night up in the mortar pit, like, after the fight, like, he was up there with me.
Me and him were Me and Raz were pretty close.
We were talking and I remember trying to get some sleep, but I couldn't sleep, you know, I tell people it's like, man, you think you have an adrenaline rush til you can't fucking sleep for three days, then you understand what an adrenaline rush is.
Like, you're just scared to close your eyes.
And Raz came up to me and I was just, like, laying in, I just, like, I didn't know if there was just gun runs happening or I just couldn't get the sound of war out of my head, but I was just laying on this little fucking two-by-four cot in my little hooch and it just sounded like this war outside was never ending.
He was the big brother that, you know, taught me how to take a hit.
He's the one who helped me share my first cigarette at, like, the age of 12 or something.
Erm.
Later, after my parents got divorced, he got kinda angry and he hung out with gangs and did that kind of stuff.
When I hung out with him, I got in trouble.
When I came home on leave, when my brother was there, he introduced me as his big little brother, because I had the muscles now and I had the uniform, and he was very proud.
I told him about the Marine Corps and he thought that that would be an excellent direction for him.
So I took him down to the recruiting office and we tried to get him in, but, unfortunately, he his past his past criminal record, he couldn't get in.
So he had to do what he needed to do to take care of his baby.
I went back to the Corps after the leave, and a few months later, I get notified that he was at a party, and I guess there was an argument and he got shot in the chest point-blank with a shotgun.
Died instantly.
They rushed me home and I was able to be there for his funeral and when we laid him to rest, because he wanted to join the Marine Corps, I gave him one of my Eagle, Globe, and Anchors.
There was a brotherhood that with an incredible bond that is undeniable.
Living in those close quarters, dealing with enemy attacks once every three days, it's one of the most humbling experiences I've ever had in my entire life and I don't think I'll ever be in a situation where someone will say, "Doc, no.
I don't want you to go do this because you might get injured.
I'm gonna go do this for you.
" Something as simple as that.
I mean, it's mind-blowing.
It's humbling, more or less, to have friends that have received the Medal of Honor, because the recognition that came with it, like I said, when I got out of the military and ran, I I didn't really want anything to do with it.
I didn't.
Because I wasn't focused on it, I wasn't thinking of it, but knowing that we have had that recognition and that our friends won't be forgotten is why I speak on its behalf now.
It's because, when I look at Mace's mom and when I look at Hardt's, you know, family, and I look at Kirk's kids and stuff like that, you know, there needs to be a voice that that can remember their father or their son or what they did.
And, you know, by no means do I consider myself a hero, but, you know, I believe that those men are.
Before they came, Ty said he was hoping to take his children around Washington, to show them the sights and the history, but, Jayden, Madison, if you want to know what makes our country truly great, if you want to know what a true American hero looks like, then you don't have to look too far.
You just have to look at your dad.
Because today, he's the sight we've come to see.
Your dad inspires us just like all those big monuments and memorials do.
Ty jumped out of bed, put on his boots and his helmet and his Kevlar vest, grabbed some ammo, and he ran into bullets coming down like rain for a hundred meters to resupply his comrades out in that Humvee.
When they needed more, he ran back, blasted the locks off supply rooms, and sprinted yet again, dodging explosions, darting between craters, back to the Humvee.
The ferocious fire forced them inside and so it was that five American soldiers, including Ty and Specialist Stephan Mace, found themselves trapped in that Humvee, the tires flat, RPGs pouring in, peppering them with shrapnel, threatening to break through the armor of their vehicle.
And worst of all, Taliban fighters were penetrating the camp.
The choice, it seemed, was simple.
Stay and die or make a run for it.
So once more, Ty stepped out into the barrage, and along with Sergeant Brad Larson, he laid down fire, providing cover for the other three, including Stephan, as they dashed for safety.
But in those hellish moments, one man went down, and then another, and Stephan disappeared into the dust and smoke.
Back in that Humvee, Ty and Brad held out for hours, rolling down the window just a crack, taking a shot over and over, holding the line, preventing that outpost from being completely overrun.
Ty would later say, "We weren't going to surrender.
We were gonna fight to the last round.
" And then they saw him, their buddy, Stephan, on the ground, wounded, about 30 yards away.
When the moment was right, Ty stepped out again, and ran to Stephan, and applying a tourniquet to one of his legs, bandaging the other, tending to his wounds, grabbing a tree branch to splint his ankle.
And if you're left with just one image from that day, let it be this: Ty Carter bending over, picking up Stephan Mace, cradling him in his arms, and carrying him through all those bullets, and getting him back to that Humvee.
Then Ty stepped out again, recovering a radio, finally making contact with the rest of the troop, and they came up with a plan.
As Clint Romesha and his team provided cover, these three soldiers made their escape.
Ty, Brad, carrying Stephan on a stretcher through the chaos, delivering Stephan to the medics.
And the battle was still not over.
So Ty returned to the fight.
With much of the outpost on fire, the flames bearing down on the aid station with so many wounded inside, Ty stepped out one last time, exposing himself to enemy fire, grabbed a chainsaw, cut down a burning tree, saved the aid station, and helped to rally his troop as they fought yard by yard.
They pushed the enemy back, our soldiers retook their camp.
Now, Ty says, "This award is not mine alone.
" The battle that day, he will say, was one team in one fight, and everyone did what we could do to keep each other alive.
And some of these men are with us again.
And I have to repeat this because they're among the most highly decorated units of this entire war.
Thirty-seven Army Commendation Medals, 27 Purple Hearts, 18 Bronze Stars for their valor, nine Silver Stars for their gallantry.
So soldiers of COP Keating, please stand.
Today, we also remember once more the eight extraordinary soldiers who gave their last full measure of devotion, some of whom spent their final moments trying to rescue Ty and the others in that Humvee.
And we stand with their families, who remind us how far the heartbreak ripples.
Five wives, widows, who honor their husbands.
Seven boys and girls who honor their dad.
At least 17 parents, mothers and fathers, step moms and step dads, who honor their son.
Some 18 siblings who honor their brother.
Long after this war is over, these families will still need our love and support for all the years to come, and I would ask the COP Keating families to stand and be recognized please.
Finally, as we honor Ty's courage on the battlefield, I want to recognize his courage in the other battle he has fought.
Ty has spoken openly, with honesty and extraordinary eloquence, about his struggle with post-traumatic stress.
The flashbacks, the nightmares, the anxiety, the heartache, that makes it sometimes almost impossible to get through a day.
And he's urged us to remember another soldier from COP Keating who suffered, too, who eventually lost his own life back home, and who we remember today for his service in Afghanistan that day, Private Ed Faulkner, Jr.
At first, like a lot of troops, Ty resisted seeking help, but with the support of the Army, the encouragement of his commanders, and most importantly, the love of Shannon and the kids, Ty got help.
The pain of that day, I think Ty understands, and we can only imagine, may never fully go away.
But Ty stands before us as a loving husband, a devoted father, an exemplary soldier who even redeployed to Afghanistan.
So now he wants to help other troops in their own recovery and it is absolutely critical for us to work with brave young men like Ty, to put an end to any stigma that keeps more folks from seeking help.
So let me say it as clearly as I can to any of our troops or veterans who are watching and struggling.
Look at this man.
Look at this soldier.
Look at this warrior.
He's as tough as they come and if he can find the courage and the strength to not only seek help, but also to speak out about it, to take care of himself and to stay strong, then so can you.
And as you summon that strength, our nation needs to keep summoning the commitment and the resources to make sure we're there when you reach out.
'Cause nobody should ever suffer alone, and no one should ever die waiting for the mental health care that they need.
That's unacceptable, and all of us have to do better than we're doing.
As Ty knows, part of the healing is facing the sources of pain.
As we prepare for the reading of the citation, I will ask you, Ty, to never forget the difference that you made on that day.
Because you helped turn back that attack, soldiers are alive today, like your battle buddy in that Humvee, Brad Larson, who told us, "I owe Ty my life.
" Because you had the urge to serve others, at whatever cost, so many army families could welcome home their own sons.
And because of you, Stephan's mother Vanessa, who joins us again today, is able to say, "Ty brought Stephan to safety, which in the end gave him many more hours on this Earth.
Stephan felt at peace.
" And she added, in the words that speak for all of us, "I'm grateful to Ty more than words can describe.
" That's something.
God bless you, Ty Carter and the soldiers of the Black Knight Troop, God bless all our men and women in uniform, God bless the United States of America, and with that I would like to have the citation read.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress March 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor, to Specialist Ty M.
Carter, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty.
Specialist Ty M.
Carter distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving as a scout with Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on October 3rd, 2009.
On that morning, Specialist Carter and his comrades awakened to an attack of an estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on all four sides of Combat Outpost Keating, employing concentrated fire from recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft machine guns, mortars, and small arms fire.
Specialist Carter reinforced a forward battle position, ran twice through a 100-meter gauntlet of enemy fire to resupply ammunition, and voluntarily remained there to defend the isolated position.
Armed with only an M4 carbine rifle, Specialist Carter placed accurate, deadly fire on the enemy, beating back the assault force and preventing the position from being overrun, over the course of several hours.
With complete disregard for his own safety, and in spite of his own wounds, he ran through a hail of enemy rocket-propelled grenade and machine-gun fire to rescue a critically wounded comrade who had been pinned down in an exposed position.
Specialist Carter rendered life-extending first aid and carried the soldier to cover.
On his own initiative, Specialist Carter again maneuvered through enemy fire to check on a fallen soldier and recovered the squad's radio, which allowed them to coordinate their evacuation with fellow soldiers.
With teammates providing covering fire, Specialist Carter assisted in moving the wounded soldier 100 meters through withering enemy fire to the aid station and before returning to the fight.
Specialist Carter's heroic actions and tactical skill were critical to the defense of Combat Outpost Keating, preventing the enemy from capturing the position and saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.
Specialist Ty M.
Carter's extraordinary heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.
Of those, fewer than 3,600 have been awarded the military's highest honor.
Mace! Are you okay? Are you okay? Help me! Where did we find such men? We find them where we've always found them, in our villages and towns, on our city streets, in our shops, and on our farms.
summoned a degree of courage that stirs wonder and respect and an overpowering pride in all of us.
It recognizes gallantry that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
We may not always hear of their success, but they are there in the thick of the fight, in the dark of night, achieving their mission.
Many of you volunteered for service after September the 11th, 2001.
You saw that our nation was attacked and when the country called upon you, you said, "Let me serve.
Let me join in the fight to defeat the terrorists, so attacks like that will never occur on our soil again.
" And that's what you're doing here in Afghanistan.
You're changing you're helping to change this part of the world.
There was a period when American troops in Afghanistan were actually having some success in what's called counterinsurgency, which is to help the Afghan people improve their lives and thus, by doing so, separating them from insurgents.
The plan was to expand into Northeastern Afghanistan in a province called Nuristan.
Initially it was to continue to push U.
S.
presence up into these remote areas so that there could be governance over the entire country.
COP Keating, Combat Outpost Keating, was in one of the most remote areas, I think, in Afghanistan, and that's obviously saying a lot.
It's a relatively small camp.
Only 52, 53 American troops were there.
It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
Their barracks were pretty grim.
But for the men of the COP Keating, it was their world.
Snuck into Bundermann's room while he was sleeping, tied a goat to his bed.
- No fucking way.
- Yeah.
- What did Bundy do? - Bundy? Where's the other 35? Fucking freaked out, man.
What would you do? Ty Carter was a little bit older and by saying a little older, like 25 or 26.
I think at his age and his life experiences, he just had a difficult time relating to a lot of the 18-, 19-year-old kids.
He was, like, a squared-away guy.
I mean, you told the guy to do something, he would do it.
 He showed up on time, he was punctual, he was very physically fit.
So, by definition, I mean, he was a good soldier.
But at the same time he was, you know, by the book.
Just professional face all the time.
He made it very apparent that he was a former Marine, and whatever was implemented, he would always have a contrast to how the Marines would do it and why they did it better.
When Ty Carter was in the Marines, he basically was asked to leave.
He'd been punished a number of times for fighting.
He's not a get-along-to-go-along guy.
Carter and I didn't really get along.
From day one, when he came to the unit, we didn't get along.
Not only did he kind of keep to himself and he really wasn't he really didn't hang out with us or have beers with us, when we would joke fun with him, he would just be stale face, and you're just like, "Come on, dude.
We're fucking in Afghanistan, like bro, we're like in Afghanistan, man, like, it's okay.
" We will fight this war on terror with every resource of our national power.
And then our servicemen and women will come home with the honor they have earned.
By 2009, the insurgents doubled down.
Morale and fear among the Afghan populous who were in a place where counterinsurgency no longer was working.
It's hard to imagine a base set up in a worse spot.
Combat Outpost Keating was placed at the bottom of three steep mountains.
Taliban insurgents were constantly coming in and out right through that direct area.
Soldiers would arrive in this camp by helicopter in the dead of night so that they could get in and out without getting shot down.
I was actually on the first bird in.
The next morning, I wake up and I remember coming outside and I'm just thinking like, "What the fuck is this type of terrain situation?" We were just completely surrounded, man.
Like, there was mountains on every single side of us.
It was like living in a fishbowl.
After months of watching Combat Outpost Keating, the insurgents knew what the Americans would do to protect themselves.
We would get attacked pretty regularly, I would say two to three times a week All these small, sporadic small-arm fires that we'd get, I personally believe we were being tested.
It was kinda to see how we reacted to the firefights.
Strike one! Elevation 1449.
2127 need elevation again.
The enemy had the gift of time.
They knew where the vulnerable spots were.
They knew when the vulnerable times of the day were.
Just based on where it was, based on the terrain, it was a tough place to fight.
You always want to seize the high ground, and at that particular place, at COP Keating, the ground did not facilitate their defense.
We'd usually do two patrols a day, and in our downtime, we just had to keep ourselves entertained.
We played a lot of jokes on each other.
We're gonna go throw it in the L.
T.
's room.
He's sleeping.
What the fuck?! Jesus fucking Christ, man! Bundermann got a goat thrown in his room on his birthday.
Scared the shit out of him.
Get this fucking goat outta here! What the fuck?! The Army is a great lifestyle, and being a platoon leader was the greatest job I've ever had in my life.
You have these really intense moments and sometimes that's a coupla minutes and sometimes it would last all day.
- Fire! - We got it! And then you may have a long period of time where it's nothing going on, where it's guys sitting around playing Spades, smokin', jokin', chewin', drinking way too much coffee, and you build a certain kind of bond with those guys and it's not something you can replicate.
I don't know why you won't just stop, dude.
Alright? Ty Carter and his headstrong personality was the perfect example of just how unpredictable heroism and courage can be.
I wouldn't say that he would have won any popularity contests at COP Keating, nor would I think that he would care.
Not every hero comes from the perfect, stable home, and is raised on the right track and does everything right.
A lot of times the heroes are the ones who maybe haven't gotten all the breaks, and who maybe have had a difficult time fitting in and figuring out their way.
And it's almost as though those scars, that pain, allows them, at the right moment, to summon the best that is in them.
The gunfire came at 5:58 a.
m.
, October 3rd, 2009.
It started out just as a normal "Alright, I'm getting shot at.
" And then we realize that this was different and we were in trouble.
And it was just fucking muzzle flashes sporadically, through the mountains, like coming in, and I was just like, "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Like, they're like, right there.
Like I could see them.
One of our battle drills was we always resupplied ammo with guys that weren't on actual guard.
Carter's job was to run ammo back and forth through horrendous fire.
Not a job that many people would volunteer for.
The enemy was just barraging the COP and I realized it was just gonna be us until we could get air support on station.
you're at a football game.
So think about running the length of that football field while somebody is shooting at you, and you're doing that multiple times.
So we had a couple battle positions that we called LRAS 1 and LRAS 2.
And I was in the Humvee, LRAS 2.
That's where we had the 50 cal.
They knew if they could take that out, along with the mortar pit, the whole western side of the camp would be completely open.
An RPG hit the 50 cal.
So when Carter got there with ammo, we didn't have the 50 cal to use it.
More ammo.
Jesus, Carter, shut the fucking door! Get the fuck out! Carter shows up at LRAS 2, Larson is in the Humvee with two other guys, Justin Gallegos and Stephan Mace.
Mace is injured at this point.
Need those rounds! Hurry up! Yeah, I got you.
You alright, Mace? I'm good.
Look at me.
You alright? I'm good.
Fuck, there's hundreds of them! This was a volume offire we had not seen previously, and it was overwhelming.
Fuck! Why don't we have mortars on those hills? The mortar pits are pinned.
It was the first thing they hit.
Comms and power are down, too.
Fuck! The enemy's intent wasn't harassment fire.
Their intent was to overtake the COP and kill or capture every soldier that was on that base.
Shut the fucking door! - You alright? - Yeah.
Well then Martin got there with ammo, so I went from me being by myself to five of us sitting in a Humvee, going: "This is pretty fucking bad, isn't it?" This is Gallegos at LRAS 2.
We're under heavy fire.
Anyone there? The Humvee is essentially bulletproof.
A lot of times 50 cal won't penetrate, 308 won't penetrate, but RPG-7s will.
And they'll go right through and kill everybody with one RPG.
This is Gallegos at LRAS 2.
We're under heavy attack.
Anyone there? Is anyone there? You okay? Hey, Carter, are you okay? Are you okay? This is Gallegos at LRAS 2.
We're under heavy attack.
Anyone there? Is anyone there? Fuck! We didn't have any communication with the rest of the troop at that point.
- Fuck! They're inside! - Where? They're inside the fucking wire! Enemy in the wire.
The Taliban are inside the camp.
It makes it clear to them that they can't stay in this armored Humvee.
This is not They're going to die.
We need to get the fuck outta here.
That quick, Gallegos came up with us three are gonna bound to the back of the latrines, you two cover us.
Mace, Martin, you're with me.
Carter, Larson, cover us.
When we turn that corner, you guys follow.
Copy.
Go! Hey, they're across! We're clear! Shit! Get inside the truck! Carter! Get in the fucking truck now! Gallegos took a direct hit from a machine gun, Mace took a hit from an RPG, and Martin ended up, we didn't we never seen him alive again.
This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Is anyone there? This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Is anyone there? So we just kind of sat there for what seemed like a week.
This is Red Dragon, LRAS 2.
Does anybody copy? Fifty Americans versus somewhere between 350 and 400 insurgents who had been preparing for this day for months, if not years.
The amount of firepower that they unleashed on us is something that I will never, ever forget.
Yeah It's impossible to quantify the amount of firepower that they brought on us that day.
At that point, it was me and Carter in the Humvee and I was trying to go through every channel and try to get comms with anybody, and I couldn't get anybody.
This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Is anyone there? Everything started going through our head.
What if we're the only two left alive? This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Is anyone there? - Is anybody fucking left? - Hey.
Carter had looked over and seen Mace moving.
Oh my God, Ma - You gotta let me go out and get him.
- No.
- You gotta let me - No fucking way! I'm not losing you, too.
He wanted to jump out right then and grab him.
I said, "No way.
" I said, "You're no good to him dead.
We gotta wait for the Apaches to do a gun run.
" LRAS 2.
Does anyone copy? Help me, please! This is Red Dragon, LRAS 2.
Does anyone copy? Mace.
What the fuck? Come on! Is anyone left? Mace, take cover! Fuck! Help me I gotta get him.
Please, Brad, you gotta let me get him.
You gotta let me get him.
You stay fucking low.
I'll cover you.
Fuck! Gallegos is dead.
What? Gallegos is dead.
Fuck! - Gonna get you home, buddy.
- Okay.
What you gonna eat? What you gonna eat when we get home? - Fucking burger, bro! - Burger.
Fucking cheeseburger, bro! Too tight! Aghh! I want you to put pressure right here.
Okay.
God damn! Fuck! - Come on, relax.
- I'm fucking trying, bro.
What did you do last Christmas? Fucking drank myself to sleep.
Shit! - This is what you're gonna do.
- Yeah.
- Look at me.
- Yeah.
You're gonna put your arms around my back, I'm gonna pick you up, alright? Put your arm around me.
Don't worry, your ankle's gonna be fine once we find it.
Fuck you! Let's put this in context.
He's under enemy fire, he exposes himself, he sees his wounded friend, he puts a tourniquet on him to stop the bleeding, grabs the radio so they can secure their communications, then he lifts him up, he carries him back under enemy fire again, in order to bring that soldier back to safety.
This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Does anyone copy? Pressure.
Lucky for us, Ty found Gallegos's radio.
This is Red Dragon in LRAS 2.
Does anyone copy? Red Dragon, what's your status? Bundermann, this is Larson.
I'm with Carter and Mace.
I still think even though they didn't get along, there was a brotherhood with an incredible bond that is undeniable.
Mace is wounded.
It's bad.
Oh, gimme a cigarette.
- Come on.
- We don't have no cigarettes.
Dude, one cig.
A cigarette.
That's all he wanted.
And I didn't have any cigarettes.
We need to get him to the aid station now.
We're gonna get you the hell outta here.
Okay, hold up.
I'm gonna figure this out.
It's good to hear your voice.
We didn't know anyone else was alive.
By this point, we had some level of air support so we could start maneuvering out and try to give them cover.
If I lay down a fuckton of cover fire, can you guys get to the aid station? Fuck, yeah! That's a "hell, yeah!" from me and Carter.
Okay, listen up.
In 90 seconds, I'm gonna have every weapon system on this base lighting up those mountains.
The big ones will clean up the rest.
When you hear that first bomb drop, you run like hell.
Copy? Copy you.
Now, you better hold the fuck on, alright? 'Cause we're gonna haul ass.
We gave them all targets and said, "Blow all this up.
" Once the 120 hit, that was our cue to run Go! and that was everybody else's cue to open fire on the mountains and give us enough time to get Mace to the aid station.
Close your door! Ready? Go! That's a long run carrying a stretcher.
I mean that's a long run carrying a stretcher.
A lot of people gave Ty shit for the way he was, but at the end of the day, when it comes down to the wire and the bullets are flying, he did his job, and he did a magnificent thing in the circumstances that were surrounding him.
During that whole ordeal of getting Mace, we were working together as a team.
At that point, a relationship with somebody doesn't matter.
You're It's all about saving your brothers.
Bring him in! Okay.
Take it! Look at me.
I got you.
Stay with me.
You're alright.
You're good.
You're doing well.
Hey, I need some volunteers.
We got a fire outside the TOC.
You're doing good, soldier.
Over and over, he ran out into that torrential downpour, and it's just a kind of heroism and valor that most of us, I think can't even begin to imagine.
The U.
S.
Military can bring an incredible amount of force when it wants to.
We just started pummeling, and we started winning.
The battle would rage for a total of 13 hours, coming to an end only with the arrival of massive air support that wiped out the Taliban's main artillery hub.
Back at the aid station, Stephan Mace's own battle, for his life, was still touch and go.
But he wasn't in it alone.
My first impression was it looked bad, but he had a tourniquet in place, his leg was splinted, this was all first-responder care that Ty Carter did for him, and to our delight, he responded fairly well.
The thing that really stuck out with me is his repeated requests to smoke a cigarette, like, "I need a cigarette.
I need a cigarette.
Can I smoke a cigarette?" And we were like, of course, "No, you can't smoke a cigarette.
" There's some glimmer of hope.
We got Mace out, like Mace is gonna live, and, you know, you're just, like, holding on.
I think I found out around midnight or one in the morning that he had didn't make it.
Mace died.
They got him to Bostick and he didn't make it.
And that was fucking that was a pretty low point 'cause it was just, like Ty and them were doing everything they could to save him, and then it's like, it's fucking ripped away.
It was ripped away real quick, and it's like, you know That was the hardest part.
Stephan Mace was one of eight U.
S.
soldiers lost in the attack on COP Keating, the deadliest battle in the long-running Afghanistan War.
Three days later, on October 6th, 2009, COP Keating was evacuated.
Classified documents and munitions were removed and the base was bombed.
The place so many fought so hard to protect, was gone.
I got that phone call, he goes, "Your son is okay.
" So, me hearing that, someone from Fort Carson, Colorado, "Your son is okay.
" Kinda goes After that deployment, when I came home, my father was waiting for me.
I think that that was an extreme I don't know, a gift.
When he came in, Dad was there.
It was nice having a father or somebody that you love there.
He sees me, got a big old grin on his face.
Especially when you're coming home from I wouldn't say hell, but pretty close to it.
When we returned home is when things started to get kinda bad for me.
I believed that I was a failure and because I couldn't save Mace.
You get the dreams and you get the depression and the anxiety and I would wear dark shades inside.
When it was quiet, the ringing in my ears would get louder and then that would cause a lot of memories and then I'd feel upset or depressed and it got to a point where I was spending a lot of my deployment money on, you know, getting cabs and going out to the bars and stuff like that.
And one of my NCOs was pretty much saying, "You need to fix this or we're gonna take your rank.
" So, I went to counseling.
Ty's platoon sergeant brought him to me, asking me to sit down and talk to him because of what happened at Keating and specifically because of the events that Ty had been involved with.
For Ty, it's that wishing he could do more, could have done more sooner.
The helplessness and frustration in that moment were tremendous.
After the firefight, I was going through severe post-traumatic stress.
I was recovering from the trauma.
And with the violent images flashing through my head all the time, and the nightmares and the anxiety, I had to relearn how to work with myself.
Hey, Ty's here.
How you doing, man? - Good.
How are you guys? - Good to see you.
- Hi, Ty.
How are you, honey? - Good.
From what I know of him, from what I see from him every day, I mean, he's a daddy.
He has three girls.
We watch Disney movies, he paints nails.
He's just as much into doing all that girly stuff with them just as much as I am.
He loves hanging out with people, he loves talking about everyday things, you know, drinking beer, like, he's just he's just Ty.
I don't know how other way to put it.
There it is! Here we go! Distract him! I was on vacation with my family in California, and I got a phone call.
"I represent the President of the United States.
Will you take his call?" And I was like "Yes.
" I researched it once I found out that we were going to the White House and then it was like, "Oh, you're gonna meet the President.
" That was really cool.
This is a historic day.
The first time in nearly half a century, since the Vietnam War, that we've been able to present the Medal of Honor to two survivors of the same battle.
What's especially interesting about COP Keating is it's one battle in which two Medals of Honor were awarded.
The first going to Clint Romesha just a few months before.
The White House ceremony where I received the medal, it was a blur for me.
As I was standing there on the podium, I was nervous, and they're like: "What are you thinking while you're standing there?" And I was like, honestly, I was thinking, "Wiggle my toes, bend my knees, don't pass out, wiggle my toes, bend my knees, don't pass out.
" It was chaos.
The blizzard of bullets and steel, and then they saw him, their buddy, Stephan, on the ground, wounded, about 30 yards away.
When he saw Stephan Mace suffering out there Ty had already lost his own brother, his direct brother, and he'll he would do anything he could not to lose another brother.
If you're left with just one image from that day, let it be this: Ty Carter bending over, picking up Stephan Mace, cradling him in his arms, and carrying him through all those bullets and getting him back to that Humvee.
My mother says that that because my brother died, erm while I was in the Marine Corps, my mother said that he was watching over me.
So and that's the only way I can explain the way that I survived.
Other than the fact that my brothers were kicking butt and taking names, providing cover fire.
So all he had to do was go and reach around and set it up, and hook it onto Ty, and then turn and shook his hand and Proud moment.
I know you're proud, but try not to cry so much.
I'm tearing up like I always do.
Because he just gets all emotional and They immediately look at me to see if I'm tearing up, meaning I'm enjoying it.
Yeah.
They make fun of me that way, which is cool.
And I was like, "Any time you speak, have some water there so if you start feeling it, you can swallow the tears and keep going.
" Excuse me.
Ty Carter and Clint Romesha were not alone in being recognized for their heroism at COP Keating.
Their unit is the most decorated of the war in Afghanistan to date.
Brad Larson was awarded the Silver Star for valor in combat, along with eight others.
27 soldiers received the Purple Heart, and 37 received Army Commendation Medals with Valor.
There were three Bronze Stars, 18 Bronze Stars with Valor, and three Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Finally, as we honor Ty's courage on the battlefield, I want to recognize his courage in the other battle he has fought.
Ty has spoken openly, with honesty and extraordinary eloquence, about his struggle with post-traumatic stress.
It took me two and a half years to be okay with myself, so it took two and a half years for me to recover from my trauma, to where I no longer was drastically affected by post-traumatic stress.
I suffer from post-traumatic stress, alright? There's no cure for it.
It's just who we are.
It's how we learn.
I believe that part of my responsibility or job is to educate people that are suffering with post-traumatic stress, to let them know that it's completely, totally normal.
Every single person on this planet that is alive has some form of post-traumatic stress.
With all the work we've done, we're changing the way the world sees this thing.
It's not necessarily a disease, if it's natural.
The only issue is, is how we're treated when we are labeled with this.
We are trying to fix that.
Ty wants to get rid of the "D.
" PTS, just keep it "PTS,"Â get rid of the "D," get rid of the "disorder.
" Army Staff Sergeant Ty Carter here, I think an important part of your story is you're advocating and talking about something that people don't necessarily like to talk about.
It is PTS.
Yes.
And, of course, you don't like to call it "PTSD" because you say it's a different thing, right? - It's totally not a disorder.
- What do you say to your brothers and sisters that are just holding it in? We all go through pains.
We all go through traumas.
If we use the resources of our family and our friends, if we utilize our counselors, then we can all share the burden together and we can grow and evolve together.
Ty, thank you so much for being here.
Of course, you work passionately on behalf of the soldiers.
We thank you for I think what's interesting about Ty, he wasn't particularly connected to the other soldiers in the unit, and yet, he was willing to die for them.
Specialist Stephan Mace and I weren't very close before the battle.
We'd never spoken much.
But it is one of my biggest regrets, of my life, that I could not do more for Mace that day.
Ty Carter had the courage to run out there and risk his own life to get my son.
I mean, it's just, it's so overwhelming.
Vanessa I'm sorry we weren't able to bring your boy home.
By him doing that, my son did not die alone.
My son died in peace.
How can you ask for anything more than that? More than half of us were wounded and almost everyone was left with deep, invisible wounds to their hearts and minds.
These are the unlikely heroes of Combat Outpost Keating.
Brave men, brothers, and soldiers for life.
The Medal of Honor is ultimately about selflessness.
Men receive this award not for just killing the most enemy or fighting the bravest It's about being willing to sacrifice one's own life for his men.
It's more than the bravery.
It's more than knowing that an individual is willing to do whatever it takes to defend our country.
And I've had the opportunity to meet Medal of Honor recipients, and I'm awed.
I mean, it's literally, it's It's tough to describe.
Whenever a Medal of Honor recipient walks into the room, everyone goes silent.
People stand as if the American flag was coming in.
It's an award that's held higher than any other.
It's It's our form of knighthood.
I think the significance of the Medal of Honor is that it recognizes those who exhibit valor, heroism.
It is about an idea of what this country stands for.
The Medal of Honor is the ultimate, and given only in those very, very rare cases where the individual has demonstrated truly above and beyond the call-of-duty performance.
Where the likelihood of them becoming a casualty or being killed is very high.
You know, you hear the stories, you read the citations, and what motivates them to do these superhuman feats? It is about love.
I think it is about family.
But there are times, it's just who you are and what your inner spirit compels you to do in a moment of extreme danger.
I don't believe the medal represents an individual.
I think the medal represents our military, our nation, our families, our beliefs.
Everything that we've sacrificed over the last 300 years to make sure that we today, stand here, as the greatest nation in the world, willing to do everything that we can to make sure we live in a peaceful world.
It represents us.
It represents who we are as a nation.
I went out there and I didn't have a rifle on me and I grabbed both 60-millimeter mortar cans and I turned around, and there's this dude, just this Taliban dude or Afghan dude, I mean, maybe 25, 30 yards from me.
He's got his weapon slung, and he literally has his back turned to me, and he's, like, yelling at somebody else, and I'm literally just standing there with ammo cans in both my hands, unarmed.
I was like, "If this dude turns around, I'm dead.
I'm dead.
" And he never turned around.
He never fucking turned around.
I went in, like, put the ammo cans down, and I was just, like, sitting there just like, "What the fuck is going on?" Like because I That's when it kinda hit me, like, "Okay, we might be stranded.
" Everybody might be dead because if these dudes are just walking in, or just walking around our base with their weapons slung, like what's going on? I'm on the phone, RPG explodes dust, smoke, everywhere, kinda black out for a moment or so, get knocked on the ground, see there's smoke everywhere, my ears are ringing, and just kind of that fog or haze of just kind of being getting your bell rung.
Maybe a minute or so after we kind of collectively figure out what's going on, I'm on the radio listening and Hobbes, Jeff Hobbes, is standing next to me and kinda look at my hand and it has this just tremor, a significant tremor, not like a little short tremor, it's a it's a sharp tremor that I looking at my hand and, like, it feels like my hand is detached from my body 'cause I'm not able to control this tremor and Jeff kinda looks at me, and I look at him in the eyes and we have sort of a brief moment where Jeff's like, "I'm pretty scared, Doc.
" And I was like, "Yeah, Jeff, I'm pretty scared, too!" But it was, it seemed like something so simple to say, but erm I don't think either one of us have ever experienced this type of fear.
I was probably the most scared I've ever been in my entire life at that moment 'cause I think that's when it sunk in that, erm we're probably not gonna make it out of there that day.
I think that's the moment that it hit us that, this is We're not gonna ma we're probably not gonna make it outta there alive.
Raz actually stayed the night up in the mortar pit, like, after the fight, like, he was up there with me.
Me and him were Me and Raz were pretty close.
We were talking and I remember trying to get some sleep, but I couldn't sleep, you know, I tell people it's like, man, you think you have an adrenaline rush til you can't fucking sleep for three days, then you understand what an adrenaline rush is.
Like, you're just scared to close your eyes.
And Raz came up to me and I was just, like, laying in, I just, like, I didn't know if there was just gun runs happening or I just couldn't get the sound of war out of my head, but I was just laying on this little fucking two-by-four cot in my little hooch and it just sounded like this war outside was never ending.
He was the big brother that, you know, taught me how to take a hit.
He's the one who helped me share my first cigarette at, like, the age of 12 or something.
Erm.
Later, after my parents got divorced, he got kinda angry and he hung out with gangs and did that kind of stuff.
When I hung out with him, I got in trouble.
When I came home on leave, when my brother was there, he introduced me as his big little brother, because I had the muscles now and I had the uniform, and he was very proud.
I told him about the Marine Corps and he thought that that would be an excellent direction for him.
So I took him down to the recruiting office and we tried to get him in, but, unfortunately, he his past his past criminal record, he couldn't get in.
So he had to do what he needed to do to take care of his baby.
I went back to the Corps after the leave, and a few months later, I get notified that he was at a party, and I guess there was an argument and he got shot in the chest point-blank with a shotgun.
Died instantly.
They rushed me home and I was able to be there for his funeral and when we laid him to rest, because he wanted to join the Marine Corps, I gave him one of my Eagle, Globe, and Anchors.
There was a brotherhood that with an incredible bond that is undeniable.
Living in those close quarters, dealing with enemy attacks once every three days, it's one of the most humbling experiences I've ever had in my entire life and I don't think I'll ever be in a situation where someone will say, "Doc, no.
I don't want you to go do this because you might get injured.
I'm gonna go do this for you.
" Something as simple as that.
I mean, it's mind-blowing.
It's humbling, more or less, to have friends that have received the Medal of Honor, because the recognition that came with it, like I said, when I got out of the military and ran, I I didn't really want anything to do with it.
I didn't.
Because I wasn't focused on it, I wasn't thinking of it, but knowing that we have had that recognition and that our friends won't be forgotten is why I speak on its behalf now.
It's because, when I look at Mace's mom and when I look at Hardt's, you know, family, and I look at Kirk's kids and stuff like that, you know, there needs to be a voice that that can remember their father or their son or what they did.
And, you know, by no means do I consider myself a hero, but, you know, I believe that those men are.
Before they came, Ty said he was hoping to take his children around Washington, to show them the sights and the history, but, Jayden, Madison, if you want to know what makes our country truly great, if you want to know what a true American hero looks like, then you don't have to look too far.
You just have to look at your dad.
Because today, he's the sight we've come to see.
Your dad inspires us just like all those big monuments and memorials do.
Ty jumped out of bed, put on his boots and his helmet and his Kevlar vest, grabbed some ammo, and he ran into bullets coming down like rain for a hundred meters to resupply his comrades out in that Humvee.
When they needed more, he ran back, blasted the locks off supply rooms, and sprinted yet again, dodging explosions, darting between craters, back to the Humvee.
The ferocious fire forced them inside and so it was that five American soldiers, including Ty and Specialist Stephan Mace, found themselves trapped in that Humvee, the tires flat, RPGs pouring in, peppering them with shrapnel, threatening to break through the armor of their vehicle.
And worst of all, Taliban fighters were penetrating the camp.
The choice, it seemed, was simple.
Stay and die or make a run for it.
So once more, Ty stepped out into the barrage, and along with Sergeant Brad Larson, he laid down fire, providing cover for the other three, including Stephan, as they dashed for safety.
But in those hellish moments, one man went down, and then another, and Stephan disappeared into the dust and smoke.
Back in that Humvee, Ty and Brad held out for hours, rolling down the window just a crack, taking a shot over and over, holding the line, preventing that outpost from being completely overrun.
Ty would later say, "We weren't going to surrender.
We were gonna fight to the last round.
" And then they saw him, their buddy, Stephan, on the ground, wounded, about 30 yards away.
When the moment was right, Ty stepped out again, and ran to Stephan, and applying a tourniquet to one of his legs, bandaging the other, tending to his wounds, grabbing a tree branch to splint his ankle.
And if you're left with just one image from that day, let it be this: Ty Carter bending over, picking up Stephan Mace, cradling him in his arms, and carrying him through all those bullets, and getting him back to that Humvee.
Then Ty stepped out again, recovering a radio, finally making contact with the rest of the troop, and they came up with a plan.
As Clint Romesha and his team provided cover, these three soldiers made their escape.
Ty, Brad, carrying Stephan on a stretcher through the chaos, delivering Stephan to the medics.
And the battle was still not over.
So Ty returned to the fight.
With much of the outpost on fire, the flames bearing down on the aid station with so many wounded inside, Ty stepped out one last time, exposing himself to enemy fire, grabbed a chainsaw, cut down a burning tree, saved the aid station, and helped to rally his troop as they fought yard by yard.
They pushed the enemy back, our soldiers retook their camp.
Now, Ty says, "This award is not mine alone.
" The battle that day, he will say, was one team in one fight, and everyone did what we could do to keep each other alive.
And some of these men are with us again.
And I have to repeat this because they're among the most highly decorated units of this entire war.
Thirty-seven Army Commendation Medals, 27 Purple Hearts, 18 Bronze Stars for their valor, nine Silver Stars for their gallantry.
So soldiers of COP Keating, please stand.
Today, we also remember once more the eight extraordinary soldiers who gave their last full measure of devotion, some of whom spent their final moments trying to rescue Ty and the others in that Humvee.
And we stand with their families, who remind us how far the heartbreak ripples.
Five wives, widows, who honor their husbands.
Seven boys and girls who honor their dad.
At least 17 parents, mothers and fathers, step moms and step dads, who honor their son.
Some 18 siblings who honor their brother.
Long after this war is over, these families will still need our love and support for all the years to come, and I would ask the COP Keating families to stand and be recognized please.
Finally, as we honor Ty's courage on the battlefield, I want to recognize his courage in the other battle he has fought.
Ty has spoken openly, with honesty and extraordinary eloquence, about his struggle with post-traumatic stress.
The flashbacks, the nightmares, the anxiety, the heartache, that makes it sometimes almost impossible to get through a day.
And he's urged us to remember another soldier from COP Keating who suffered, too, who eventually lost his own life back home, and who we remember today for his service in Afghanistan that day, Private Ed Faulkner, Jr.
At first, like a lot of troops, Ty resisted seeking help, but with the support of the Army, the encouragement of his commanders, and most importantly, the love of Shannon and the kids, Ty got help.
The pain of that day, I think Ty understands, and we can only imagine, may never fully go away.
But Ty stands before us as a loving husband, a devoted father, an exemplary soldier who even redeployed to Afghanistan.
So now he wants to help other troops in their own recovery and it is absolutely critical for us to work with brave young men like Ty, to put an end to any stigma that keeps more folks from seeking help.
So let me say it as clearly as I can to any of our troops or veterans who are watching and struggling.
Look at this man.
Look at this soldier.
Look at this warrior.
He's as tough as they come and if he can find the courage and the strength to not only seek help, but also to speak out about it, to take care of himself and to stay strong, then so can you.
And as you summon that strength, our nation needs to keep summoning the commitment and the resources to make sure we're there when you reach out.
'Cause nobody should ever suffer alone, and no one should ever die waiting for the mental health care that they need.
That's unacceptable, and all of us have to do better than we're doing.
As Ty knows, part of the healing is facing the sources of pain.
As we prepare for the reading of the citation, I will ask you, Ty, to never forget the difference that you made on that day.
Because you helped turn back that attack, soldiers are alive today, like your battle buddy in that Humvee, Brad Larson, who told us, "I owe Ty my life.
" Because you had the urge to serve others, at whatever cost, so many army families could welcome home their own sons.
And because of you, Stephan's mother Vanessa, who joins us again today, is able to say, "Ty brought Stephan to safety, which in the end gave him many more hours on this Earth.
Stephan felt at peace.
" And she added, in the words that speak for all of us, "I'm grateful to Ty more than words can describe.
" That's something.
God bless you, Ty Carter and the soldiers of the Black Knight Troop, God bless all our men and women in uniform, God bless the United States of America, and with that I would like to have the citation read.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress March 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor, to Specialist Ty M.
Carter, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty.
Specialist Ty M.
Carter distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving as a scout with Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on October 3rd, 2009.
On that morning, Specialist Carter and his comrades awakened to an attack of an estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on all four sides of Combat Outpost Keating, employing concentrated fire from recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft machine guns, mortars, and small arms fire.
Specialist Carter reinforced a forward battle position, ran twice through a 100-meter gauntlet of enemy fire to resupply ammunition, and voluntarily remained there to defend the isolated position.
Armed with only an M4 carbine rifle, Specialist Carter placed accurate, deadly fire on the enemy, beating back the assault force and preventing the position from being overrun, over the course of several hours.
With complete disregard for his own safety, and in spite of his own wounds, he ran through a hail of enemy rocket-propelled grenade and machine-gun fire to rescue a critically wounded comrade who had been pinned down in an exposed position.
Specialist Carter rendered life-extending first aid and carried the soldier to cover.
On his own initiative, Specialist Carter again maneuvered through enemy fire to check on a fallen soldier and recovered the squad's radio, which allowed them to coordinate their evacuation with fellow soldiers.
With teammates providing covering fire, Specialist Carter assisted in moving the wounded soldier 100 meters through withering enemy fire to the aid station and before returning to the fight.
Specialist Carter's heroic actions and tactical skill were critical to the defense of Combat Outpost Keating, preventing the enemy from capturing the position and saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.
Specialist Ty M.
Carter's extraordinary heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.