When the Navy awards one of its toughest, most capable ships the name of a living Medal of Honor recipient, it says something profound about faith in patriotism and in perseverance. The DDG‑148, now christened the USS Kyle Carpenter, joins the storied Arleigh Burke–class destroyer line as a symbol of honor turned to action.
The Arleigh Burke Workhorses
The Arleigh Burke–class guided‑missile destroyers are the backbone of the surface fleet—the sharp point, the vigilant eye, the mobile fortress. Centered around the Aegis Combat System and outfitted with SPY‑1 or SPY‑6 radars, they can track and engage aircraft, ballistic missiles, surface targets, undersea threats, and even support land strikes via Tomahawk missiles. With as many as 96 vertical launch cells aboard later variants and built-in survivability features like all‑steel hulls with angled surfaces and Kevlar spall liners, these ships are lethal, agile, and enduring.
The class began service in 1991 with USS Arleigh Burke herself, and as of mid‑2025, over 70 are active with dozens more planned—a record production run for U.S. surface combatants. DDG‑148 will be a Flight III ship—the newest generation with upgraded AN/SPY‑6 radar and enhanced ballistic missile defense capabilities. Each ship named in this lineage carries a legacy—and each adds its own page.
Honoring a Hero: The Story of Kyle Carpenter
William Kyle Carpenter became the youngest living Medal of Honor recipient for a singular act of sacrificial courage. On November 21, 2010, as a lance corporal in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, he and a fellow Marine stood guard on a rooftop in Marjah when a grenade landed nearby. Without hesitation, Carpenter lunged toward the device to shield his buddy, absorbing the blast with his body.
The injuries were catastrophic—shattered jaw and arm, loss of his right eye and most of his teeth. Medics flat‑lined him multiple times before he stabilized. He received the Medal of Honor on June 19, 2014 at the White House, a ceremony that acknowledged both his courage and the price he paid.
After retiring medically in 2013, Carpenter earned a degree in international studies at the University of South Carolina in 2017, and co‑authored a memoir, You Are Worth It: Building a Life Worth Fighting For, reflecting on his journey and recovery.
The Tribute Takes Form
On or around January 16, 2025, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that the future DDG‑148 would bear Carpenter’s name, part of a broader naming of four new Flight III destroyers at the Surface Navy Association symposium. Bath Iron Works in Maine won the contract to build the vessel on July 31, 2025; Senator Susan Collins noted the ship would “enhance our national security, protect good‑paying Maine jobs, and provide long‑term stability” for the skilled workforce .
It’s fitting that Carpenter is one of the youngest Americans to have a warship bear his name—at about 35 years old in 2025—and that he remains alive to witness this honor unfold. While he’s had fewer public statements since the announcement, a remark from earlier captures the essence:
“I am just one of many who stood up to serve. The real honor is wearing the uniform of the United States of America.”
What This Means to the Veteran Community
A DDG‑51 destroyer named for a Medal of Honor recipient named Carpenter bridges the culture of ground operators and naval power projection. It speaks to joint service values: sacrifice, specialized training, and integrated lethality. The Arleigh Burke ships pack the offensive punch that supports maritime interdiction, precision strikes, layered air defense, and subterranean hunting capabilities—the sort of support ground forces often rely on in theaters like Afghanistan, Iraq, or the Indo-Pacific littorals.
The selection of Carpenter—who saved a fellow Marine at the cost of devastating wounds—underscores a theme our readers understand well: self‑sacrifice in the service of others. His recovery and subsequent public speaking, leadership journeys, and resilience also speak to the rehabilitation journey shared by many veterans.
Finally, the USS Kyle Carpenter’s construction at Bath Iron Works connects industrial base considerations—Maine shipyard output, long‑lead components, and future force structure—to national security. Observers in defense contracting and naval architecture will track keel laying, launch dates, and technology fit‑outs as a snapshot of American shipbuilding health.
Looking Ahead
DDG‑148’s christening, expected in the next few years, will be a high‑visibility event—likely including his family as sponsors, a rare opportunity for living honorees. Once in service, the USS Kyle Carpenter will sail with the latest Aegis upgrades and operate in multinational task forces, demonstrating with every patrol the bond between American valor and naval power.
In effect, the ship carries forward Carpenter’s story: designed to protect, equipped to endure, and named for sacrifice that defined a career—and inspired a nation.