WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The Disabled Veterans National Foundation (www.dvnf.org), a non-profit veterans service organization that focuses on helping men and women who serve and return home wounded or sick after defending our safety and our freedom, is retelling with great admiration the events of October 3, 2009: a day that will forever stand out in the mind of one brave soldier. More than 300 Taliban swarmed upon 53 U.S. Army troops. Among them was Staff Sgt. Ty Carter.
The sounds of gunshots filled the air, and chaos surrounded the 53 soldiers at Combat Outpost Keating in a dangerous valley of eastern Afghanistan. Carter then saw one of his fellow soldiers hit. Carter bounded into action, sprinting across to rescue his downed comrade, carrying his wounded friend over his shoulder to safety through a hail of gunfire.
The shots were raining down upon them from the high mountains that surrounded them. Machine guns, snipers, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortar rounds pummeled the outnumbered Army unit. Carter outran the bedlam of shots coming for him so that he could resupply the men he was fighting next to, knowing how crucial this would be to protect them from the Taliban onslaught.
Carter and another soldier made a last stand in a battered armored vehicle, firing back at the enemy, killing those attempting to breach the outpost walls.
All told, that October day ended with 8 American soldiers dead, and another 25 wounded. His unrelenting bravery in the face of certain tragedy earned Staff Sergeant Carter the Medal of Honor. His next fight came in the form of PTSD as he bravely acknowledged his need and has since sought help.
Carter sought treatment, and acknowledged that PTSD is not an easy fight, but also recognizes that it also does not have to be a sentence of misery.
"DVNF commends Staff Sergeant Ty Carter: not only for his gallantry and undaunted courage in the face of overwhelming odds, but also for his steadfast commitment to lend a needed voice to fellow servicemen suffering from PTSD," said Precilla Wilkewitz, President of DVNF. "His bravery and selfless sacrifice perpetuate the American spirit in all of us."
DVNF shares Carter's commitment to getting veterans the help they need, and actively encourage all veterans in need to seek the help that is available to them.
For more, go to www.dvnf.org.
Media Contact:
Doug Walker, Communications Manager, 202-737-0522, Email