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Regional Journalism

Spokane Native Receives Medal Of Honor

The White House. President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Spokane native Ty Carter.

Spokane native Ty Carter has received the nation’s highest military decoration. 

At a White House ceremony Monday, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to the 33-year-old Army Staff Sergeant.

The award recognizes Carter’s heroism during an unrelenting Taliban attack on a remote Army outpost in October of 2009.

“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,” said the President.

Specialist Mace had been injured and later died -- one of eight U.S. soldiers killed in that battle. Carter is credited with repeatedly putting himself in the line of fire to resupply his fellow soldiers with ammunition and render first aid.

Carter graduated from North Central High School in Spokane in 1998. He’s married with three children and is currently based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma.

On the Web:

Video: Medal of Honor ceremony - The White House 
Profile: Ty Michael Carter - US Army

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."