Libby High School grad still serving his military community

Dereck Carpenter may not be an active member of the U.S. military these days, but he’s still giving back to those who serve.

Carpenter graduated from Libby High School in 2005.

“Throughout high school I always felt that going to college wasn’t going to leave me with a sense of fulfillment,” Carpenter said. 

He joined the Marine Corps that same year before deploying the following year. Carpenter was on active duty for six years in the Marine Corps Infantry. His first tour was in Iraq from 2006-2007 and his second was in Afghanistan from 2010-2011. 

He then transitioned to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) where he served as a Critical Skills Operator, mostly in Asia. During his service Dereck fought and served next to the Green Berets and Navy SEALs for 10 years before being honorably discharged. 

Those experiences led Carpenter to his involvement in the New York City Seal Swim. 

According to a story in the renowned military publication, “Stars and Stripes,” participating swimmers raise money for the organization while honoring victims of 9/11 and all from first responders to military personnel who have died serving the country.

The event raises money for Navy SEAL Foundation, whose mission is to “provide critical support for the warriors, veterans and families of naval special warfare,” according to the website. To enter the swim, participants pledge to raise a minimum of $2,000 for the organization.”

Swimmers begin at the Empty Sky Memorial in New Jersey and run a mile to the Hudson River, where they dive in and swim to Liberty Island to complete 100 pushups and 22 pullups under the iconic Statue of Liberty. 

The swim started with just 34 participating SEALs in its first year. More than 300 swimmers are registered to swim this year, the most in the event’s history.

“I’ve always lived by the mentality ‘if you can you should,’” Carpenter said. “And to me that means if you have the capacity to help you should. And in this case I have the capacity to help give back to my community so I do.”

Carpenter’s giving nature eventually led him to a career in the medical tattoo field. He met his wife Rhea while shooting pool at a bar in Guam.

Rhea was a permanent makeup tattoo artist which led them both to the buisness of scar camouflaging. It peaked his interest in medical tattooing, which allowed him to continue giving back to the military community.

The couple started their business, “Camouflage Cosmetic Ink” in Orange County, California in 2022, after his retirement from the military. They have since moved their business to Las Vegas, where Dereck, Rhea and their five children currently reside.

For more information or to contribute, visit https://impact.navysealfoundation.org/event/2024-nyc-seal-swim/e559597.