Kyle Carpenter was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1989. He enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps in 2009 and served as a Squad Automatic Weapon gunner in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In June 2014, Carpenter was awarded the Medal of Honor, and in 2017, he graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BA in international studies.
Don Yaeger is an eleven-time New York Times best-selling author, longtime associate editor at Sports Illustrated, and award-winning inspirational speaker.
He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife, son, and daughter.