A USC alumnus was featured in a Super Bowl tribute. Who is he?

When Kyle Carpenter graduated from the University of South Carolina, he received a standing ovation.

That’s the least the Gamecocks could do for a man who received the Medal of Honor after jumping on a grenade in Afghanistan in 2010.

On Sunday, millions of Americans got to see Carpenter featured in a Super Bowl tribute to the American Flag.

The five-minute video tribute includes Carpenter reading a snippet from the Declaration of Independence, Carpenter’s Medal of Honor ceremony, a montage of female NFL team owners and Johnny Cash’s spoken word track “Ragged Old Flag”.

Monday morning, USC president Robert Caslen — a retired three-star general who served 43 years in the Army — tweeted a photo of Carpenter, thanking the Marine for his service.

Carpenter, a Gilbert native, graduated from USC in December 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in international studies, according to a previous article from The State.

Former President Barack Obama awarded Carpenter the Medal of honor in 2014, when he was just 24 years old.

Just after receiving his degree from USC, Carpenter said it was one of the “most incredible moments” since he woke up in the hospital after being wounded in battle, according to a previous article from The State.

This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 3:31 PM.