It was impressive enough when Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter, who survived jumping on an enemy grenade, ran the Marine Corps Marathon last year.
But that was last year.
Carpenter, 25, will skydive to the start of this year's marathon on Oct. 26 accompanied by a troupe of 11 parachutists, setting a record in the process.
"I can't express how excited and appreciative I am to represent wounded warriors, the Marine Corps and this great nation by skydiving into the incredible Marine Corps Marathon," Carpenter said according to an announcement from the Marine Corps Marathon.
Carpenter received the military's highest honor June 19 for jumping on a grenade to save the life of a friend and fellow Marine during a 2010 deployment to Afghanistan. A student at the University of South Carolina, Carpenter has said he plans to use his prestige to draw attention to wounded troops and veterans.
According to the release from the Marine Corps Marathon, Carpenter will help to deliver the largest American flag carried on a performance jump to the starting line of the race. At 7,800 square feet, the flag will be visible from a distance of 20 miles, according to the release. He will accomplish the task with the professional team FASTRAX, which is composed of Army and Marine veterans, according to the announcement. Carpenter's jump will be a tandem one, with a Marine veteran of seven years, Paul Stanford, as his parachute partner.
The flag is set to be delivered as the playing of the National Anthem signals the start of the race. Minutes later, Marine Corps aircraft will conduct a flyover. The jump will be filmed via helmet camera by retired Marine Col. John Bates, a Purple Heart recipient, according to the release. That footage will later be delivered to Comcast SportsNet to air during its live broadcast of the race.
Carpenter, who lost his right eye in the grenade blast and endured more than 30 surgeries during a lengthy recovery period, completed last year's race in a respectable four hours, 28 minutes. There's no word yet on if he's planning to beat that record after he hits the ground.
Update:
An earlier version of this story indicated it was a world record for the size flag carried by parachutists. Upon further clarification from Marine Corps Marathon reps, it is just "the largest."
