Thank you
Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:21 pm
To all the veterans on this forum, I, for one, appreciate your service to our great Nation.
“You are worth it.” Is the title of the book Kyle wrote and was just released, here is his explanation of how the title came to be,LANCE CORPORAL WILLIAM KYLE CARPENTER
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an Automatic Rifleman with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1, 1st Marine Division (Forward), I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on 21 November 2010. Lance Corporal Carpenter was a member of a platoon-sized coalition force, comprised of two reinforced Marine rifle squads partnered with an Afghan National Army squad. The platoon had established Patrol Base Dakota two days earlier in a small village in the Marjah District in order to disrupt enemy activity and provide security for the local Afghan population. Lance Corporal Carpenter and a fellow Marine were manning a rooftop security position on the perimeter of Patrol Base Dakota when the enemy initiated a daylight attack with hand grenades, one of which landed inside their sandbagged position. Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, Lance Corporal Carpenter moved toward the grenade in an attempt to shield his fellow Marine from the deadly blast. When the grenade detonated, his body absorbed the brunt of the blast, severely wounding him, but saving the life of his fellow Marine. By his undaunted courage, bold fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost certain death, Lance Corporal Carpenter reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
Needless to say, I am more afraid than ever to say “thank you for your service”. The graciousness of someone like Lance Corporal Carpenter telling me I was worth losing limbs for, was humbling enough to read.The memoir, which was co-written with Don Yaeger and titled You Are Worth It: Building A Life Worth Fighting For, starts off with Carpenter hearing a phrase so many vets hear nowadays: "Thank you for your service."
That well-meaning "thank you" was from his Uber driver, Bobby, on the way to the airport. As he explains in the book, Carpenter usually just responds with thank you very much, I really appreciate that. But instead, for some reason, Carpenter responded: "You're worth it." It felt awkward the first time he said it, but it's something he says more regularly now.
"When Bobby told me 'thank you for service' and I responded 'you are worth it,' he looked at me in the rearview mirror for a while and he told me, my parents brought me here when I was very young from Pakistan. I'll never experience the hardships they had faced. I got an amazing education. And I'm so thankful to live in what I feel like is the greatest country in the world.
"So when I got out of that Uber ride, I really reflected on that moment and I wanted him to know that his family, the hardships that they faced. They are worth it."