Ty Carter enlisted in the Marine Corps Oct. 13 1998, and attended the Marine Corps Combat Engineer School. He later served in Okinawa, Japan, as an intelligence clerk. Carter showed promise in weapons’ marksmanship and was sent to Primary Marksmanship Instructor School in 1999. He served two short training deployments; one to San Clemente Island, Calif., and the other to Egypt, for Operation Bright Star. Carter was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Oct. 12, 2002.

After his enlistment, Carter enrolled in college and studied biology at Los Medonos Community College in California. After his first daughter’s birth and some time traveling the United States, Carter realized he was destined for further service in the military.

Carter enlisted in the U.S. Army Jan. 3, 2008, to attend the Cavalry Scout Basic Training Course at Fort Knox, Ky. In April 2008, he was sent to Fort Carson, Colo., to join 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

In May of 2009, Carter deployed for 12 months to Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. In October 2010, Carter was stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., and joined Alpha Troop, 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. In May 2012, he deployed to Kandahar City, Afghanistan.

In addition to the Medal of Honor, Carter's military awards include the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army commendation Medal (with 4 oak leaf clusters), the Army Achievement Medal (with 2 oak leaf clusters), the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Navy/Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with two campaign stars), the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (with numeral 2 device), the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, and the Air Assault Badge. He is also authorized to wear the Valorous Unit Award and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.

After leaving the Army in 2014, Carter turned his attention to fighting the stigma associated with PTSD. He has championed for the removal of the ‘D’ from PTSD, encouraging those who deal with mental health issues to get help. Carter was motivated by the idea of using his experiences to help others. He was impressed by how the military began acknowledging PTS as a combat wound and treating it as a life-threatening injury.

When he is not studying firearms science and technology, Carter travels the country as a motivational speaker, focusing on mental health education.

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